How Did It Come To This?
by arisuali
Summary: Gaara/Kiba. A series of little fics outlining their relationship. Rated M for strong language and sexual scenes. Sorry, kind of a sucky title. Hopefully better than it sounds - check it out and see :D
1. Knock Knock

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the keyboard I'm typing this on =D**

**This is something I wrote when I should have been revising for my A-levels. Mmm, Naruto distraction ^^ It's purely the result of a month's worth of obsession, an increasing love of Gaara and the realisation that yes, Kiba is hot.**

**Actually, this pairing started off due to myself and a friend RP-ing (or as close to it as we get, anyway) and deciding that a) Gaara was gay and b) he needed love. Due to the fact that Naruto and Sasuke were already paired up (as were Lee and Neji...but not with each other...although I kinda like that pairing...), Kiba seemed to us to be the obvious choice =)**

**I'm thinking about turning this into a little series, sort of several little one-shots (?) showing how their relationship progresses. If you think this would be a good idea then please let me know. Right now I have a little collection of stories that might be good for this, but I'm not sure whether they would be well-received ^^ I'll probably end up posting them anyway, but if even one person would read them then I would be more inclined to do so.**

**Anyway, on with the fic =D**

**Btw, yeah, I know the jokes are awful. But they ARE courtesy of a dinnertime brainstorm. Which, OK, doesn't make it any better, but I thought I'd better conjure up some defence, even if it isn't as good as Gaara's.**

**Apologies, I have no idea wtf I'm talking about XD I'm just going to shut up now.**

**Reviews are appreciated as always.**

* * *

Kiba Inuzuka was sure of three things:

1. Naruto was an idiot. So was Lee. In fact, pretty much everyone he knew was stupid. Even Sasuke and Neji were idiots, although admittedly in a slightly different way.

2. Metro Station were awesome.

3. He was in love with Gaara.

The first two weren't really of any consequence. He'd realised long ago that it seemed to be his fate to be surrounded by morons – the only exception he could think of was Shikamaru, but dating Hinata was slowly turning him into one too – and the discovery of a new band, no matter how great their music, couldn't really be described as life-changing.

No, it was the third one that he was having trouble with.

I mean, the more he thought about it, the odder it seemed. Even discounting the fact that they were both guys, this was _Gaara_, who could kill in an instant and who'd frightened Akamaru so badly he'd had nightmares for months.

Despite these things, he still found himself watching the maroon-haired boy when nobody else was looking, wanting to reach out and somehow save him from the constant loneliness haunting his eyes.

The worst part of this was that it was his own fault. It had begun with a series of stupid knock-knock jokes that should never have been started in the first place.

~***~

"Hey," said Kiba, absentmindedly stroking Akamaru as he lounged on the sofa. "Knock knock."

Several pairs of eyes turned to him, including those of Gaara of the Desert, who still freaked him out. After all, seeing someone crush a human life with such cold apathy wasn't something you forgot in a hurry.

"What?"

"Knock knock! Come on, someone say 'who's there'!"

"Why?" asked Shikamaru, stretched out opposite him with one arm lazily draped around Hinata's shoulders. "Knock-knock jokes are such a drag."

"Someone just answer him," Sasuke said, sighing deeply. "You know he'll keep on for ages if we don't."

"Man, I _love _knock-knock jokes!" Naruto cried, voice roughly a thousand decibels too loud, as usual. "Who's there, Kiba, who's there?"

"You."

"Me who?" This answer came from Neji, sitting in an armchair a little further back from the rest of them, the brush in his hand betraying the fact that he had been quietly styling his hair. (Maybe he should try a plait…?)

"No! Dammit Hyuga, you said it wrong!" Kiba pointed an accusatory finger at the other, whose white eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Right, we're starting again and this time Neji isn't allowed to answer. Knock knock. Come on guys! Knock knock!"

"Oh God, who's there already?" Sasuke groaned, shifting so that his slim arm dangled over the side of the couch.

"You."

"You who–? Kiba, that's awful."

"What?" Naruto frowned in confusion. "I don't get it."

Amidst all the groans and death threats (and Naruto's idiotic whining), another sound reached Kiba's ears, making him jerk his head up in surprise.

The sound of stifled laughter, barely audible, was coming from Gaara, who had one hand clamped over his mouth.

OK, that was just bizarre. None of the others seemed to have noticed. Curious, he decided to try another one.

"Knock knock."

"Look, Kiba, we answered one. Surely that's enough."

"Knock knock," the shinobi repeated stubbornly.

"Who's there?" Gaara answered unexpectedly, taking them all by surprise.

"Er…Gaara?" Naruto fixed the desert nin with a suspicious stare. "You feeling OK?"

"I'm fine." Green eyes glanced at the blond briefly before his attention was returned to Kiba. Lying across the majority of the floor beside him, Akamaru whimpered and Kiba stroked his head reassuringly. "Who's there?"

"Little old lady."

"Little old lady who?"

"Wow, I didn't know you could yodel."

A barrage of derision met this punchline.

"That was even worse than the worst one!"

"Kiba, your sense of humour totally sucks!"

"I _still _don't get it!"

In the midst of the group, Gaara was laughing, shoulders shaking with suppressed humour. This was the only noise that Kiba was paying attention to. He had a nice laugh – soft and musical. Something about it was strangely intoxicating. The moment it ended, Kiba wanted to make him do it again.

"Knock knock."

"Fuck off!"

"Knock knock!"

"Look, if you're going to carry on doing this, then I'm going somewhere else. It's _way _too troublesome." Shikamaru stood up, offering a hand to a blushing Hinata. "Come on Hina, let's go and watch the clouds outside."

"Wait up, Shika, I'll come with you."

"Yeah, me too."

"I might as well go and train some more."

"My ninja centrefold could use some more work so I'll go do that. Your jokes are boring, Kiba."

One by one, the Konoha nin disappeared until finally only Gaara was left, staring at him with a strange expression on his face. What was it?

"Tell another one, Kiba. Go on."

My God, it was expectancy. His eyes had actually lit up, like a kid at Christmas. It was almost too weird.

But he really wanted to hear that laugh again.

"OK. Knock knock…"

With every joke, Gaara laughed more and more (one that he seemed particularly amused by was the one which ended with "Euripides trousers, you buy me a new pair") until eventually he was actually lying face-down on the floor, banging the rug with his hands.

"That's…that's brilliant…" he gasped when he could speak again, wiping tears from his face. Kiba looked at him with fascination.

"Haven't you heard those jokes before?"

"Nobody has ever told me a joke until now."

Kiba considered this prospect. It sounded pretty crappy. "You really liked them?"

"Yes. Very much."

"Alright, well, whenever you want to hear more just come and ask and I'll tell you some, 'kay?"

"You will?" The look of incredulity on Gaara's face made him want to laugh far more than any joke had ever done.

"Yeah sure, if you like."

He'd been expecting a nod at the very most. The last thing he'd anticipated was the (surprisingly attractive) smile that softened Gaara's face.

"Thank you!" he said, with more warmth than Kiba had heard him use towards anyone before. He hadn't even addressed his own siblings with anything near this tone.

There seemed to be affection in it. Kiba wasn't sure that he was ready to address that possibility yet, so he decided that it was probably safer to just leave.

"Well," he said, getting to his feet, "I've got stuff to do so I'd better go. Guess I'll see you around."

"OK, bye then."

The leaf nin happened to glance backwards as he moved towards the room's exit. Although Gaara moved quickly, the slight blush in his cheeks gave him away. Kiba was sure that he'd been staring at him with a weird look in his eyes.

It had looked like…

Nah, it couldn't be.

But…

Shaking his head to clear it of the confusing emotions that were conjured up by the prospect of the Kazekage crushing on him (no pun intended), he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

~***~

Now all those stolen glances, all those late-night talks, all that longing, had led him here. Facing a door that remained obstinately closed while snatches of laughter and drunkenness drifted from downstairs.

They had both told each other things that probably no one else knew. A week ago they had come very close to kissing. It was those moments of closeness that he was holding on to right now. He wouldn't – no, he _mustn't_ – let everything they were unravel just because of one stupid comment.

Someone had to cross the line into something more than friendship, and he knew that Gaara sure as hell wasn't going to do it.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?"

Only this time it wasn't funny. If he laughed…if Gaara laughed right now then Kiba would die.

"Gaara? It's me. Please let me in. I need to talk to you."

* * *

**Thanks for reading ^^ If you want a series then please say.**


	2. Music Lesson

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own anything =D**

**If you've got this far then well done. No sarcasm at all, I actually mean it.**

**The possibility for a series is still there. Man, I love these two ^^ They're fast becoming one of my favourite Naruto pairings, although KakaIru and SasuNaru are still ftw.**

**For anyone who's interested, the song that Kiba sings is called "Sum Of Us" and the version that I took the lyrics from is sung by Richard Fleeshman, although I suspect it may be a cover. But it's still a damn fine thing to listen to, and I strongly recommend it for lazing around on a warm day. Or a cold day. In fact, it's good for any day.**

* * *

Gaara knew for certain that three things were absolutely true:

1. Uzumaki was the most irritating thing he'd ever encountered. The rest of the Konoha shinobi were fools, sure, but he was the biggest fool of all.

2. He was obsessed with a song for a totally ridiculous reason.

3. Kiba Inuzuka was the last person he wanted to find himself around. So, of course, the shinobi was currently knocking at his door.

It was all just _way _too complicated. If he hadn't decided to take a walk at that precise moment, all those weeks ago, he wouldn't be in this mess.

~***~

It was too hot indoors.

No, actually, it wasn't the heat – a lifetime in the desert meant that he'd become accustomed to high temperatures. It wasn't even the stuffiness, not really. What – or rather _who _– was currently driving him insane was none other than Uzumaki Naruto, leaf genin, Hokage wannabe and noisy little–

"Hey guys! Guys! Look! I managed to modify the ninja centrefold! I think _this _version's even better! Watch!"

At this point, Gaara stood up and left. He had no desire to be surrounded by choking pink smoke whilst having a huge pair of breasts shoved in his face. Sliding the door shut behind him, he lifted his face up towards the sun, closing his eyes and letting the rays bathe him in warmth. It was a nice day, the smell of grass filled his nose as he stood for a while, observing the birds perched in the branches of the trees. Behind him, he heard yells – presumably signalling that Naruto's transformation had been successful.

God, they were all just so _noisy_!

Because of this, Gaara decided that he might as well just take a walk, as hopefully that way he would get some peace and quiet. Besides, it would be a shame to waste the weather. Deciding to leave his gourd behind – he doubted he would need it and it was pretty damn heavy to carry around all the time – he walked out onto the dirt track that led down to the river. Perhaps he would stop on the bridge and watch the water for a while. He quite liked doing that.

He was almost there when something made him stop.

Somewhere up ahead, music was playing.

Even though it was _very _unlikely to be an ambush – what enemy would announce themselves in such a manner? – the desert nin was still cautious as he crept forward, making sure to keep to the shadows. As he drew closer, he found that he could see two figures sitting underneath a large oak tree.

"OK, so now put your fingers here…"

"Like this?"

Immediately, he recognised the voices as belonging to Kiba Inuzuka and Neji Hyuga. Both of them were cradling guitars in their laps. Apparently he had just stumbled across a music lesson.

"Right, and now strum…no, that one…yeah, that's it. You're picking this up pretty quickly, Hyuga. I'm impressed. Guess you're a genius after all."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I reckon I can practice on my own for a bit now, so I'm going back to the house." The long-haired jounin stood. "Are you coming?"

"Nah. With the amount of sugar Naruto ate earlier, he's probably bouncing off the walls by now. Besides, it's nice out here. Think I'll stay a while longer."

"See you later then." With these parting words, Neji picked up the wooden instrument and began to walk in Gaara's direction. Just when Gaara had thought he'd passed without seeing him, he heard the Hyuga say, "If you're planning to kill him, I suggest you wait until after he's finished teaching me. It'd be annoying if my playing had to stop because my teacher was dead."

Gaara made no effort to reply, so Neji merely continued walking until he had rounded the corner and the trees obscured him from sight. When he was sure he was alone again, Gaara returned his attention to Kiba, who was now sitting with his back to the tree's trunk, strumming idly.

Actually, Gaara had vague memories of seeing people playing guitars prior to this occasion. He even thought he remembered Kankuro offering to teach him once, long ago. However, he'd declined the offer, having no interest in learning how to play music.

But then, at that time, he'd never heard music that sounded like this.

Gradually, the separate chords were merging together, becoming a tune that merged with the sunlight and the breeze to create a feeling that he hadn't experienced before.

And that was before Kiba had even opened his mouth.

What was this song? It seemed familiar, and yet he was sure that he'd never heard it before. His pulse was picking up with every word sung in that slightly hoarse voice. Why was that? It didn't make any sense. He hoped he wasn't coming down with something.

"_These four hours drag on like an eternity, and time feels like you do, keeps on slipping away from me. When I see you the world can't stop making sense_…"

No…it wasn't that he was ill…it was this song. It was this song sung in this voice. It was making him feel…strange. Too strange. He had to leave, before…

…well, that was it. He wasn't sure what he would do. But he was certain that it wouldn't be anything good.

He left as quickly as keeping silent would allow, but the words seemed to follow him past the point where he knew that Inuzuka should be way out of earshot.

"_And I don't mind it, and I don't mind it if it don't all add up, and I don't mind it, because nothing could take away from the sum of us…_"

~***~

And now here Kiba was…standing outside his closed door (as if that wasn't enough of a hint), asking to please be let in. Saying he wanted to talk to him about something.

After what had been said, he really didn't want to see the other shinobi right now.

So why was it that he found himself turning off _that _song, getting up, unlocking the door and letting him in?

* * *

**Thanks for taking the time to read this =) If you want to find out what happened after the opening of the door, then you can read my story 'Close', which is lurking somewhere on my page. Although I guess by saying that I've kind of given the pairing of it away... ^^'**


	3. White Lies

**...Iiiit's a series. Hell yes ^^ Thank you to Banana Ocean for the review - as I said, one review was all it took. This is not a conventional pairing. But I have fun =D**

**The two idiots yelling at Gaara are a reference to me and one of my friends. THIS DID ACTUALLY HAPPEN. Only, you know, without the Gaara *A* (that makes me sad...) We were trying to remember the reasons why we said Gaara was cranky.**

**(1. He doesn't sleep.**

**2. He's got sand in his pants.**

**3. He has constant backache from the gourd.**

**4. He's sexually frustrated)**

**(Number four was an amendment added by yours truly. Man, we're such fools... XD)**

**But yep, here it is! And it's quite long! (Don't expect any other chapters to be this long, anyone who's readings this... ¬_¬)**

**The little piece of wordless music Kiba plays is 'Face (Her)' by Newton Faulkner. It is 40 seconds long :)**

**And the second song is 'White Lies' by Paolo Nutini (hence the title) because I think that he has a Kiba-ish voice. Although that may well just be me ^^;**

* * *

"He's so _creepy_…"

"Too right…what a frightening expression…"

Hearing the two female voices, Kiba looked over to see what – or who – they were talking about. His eyes fell almost immediately on Gaara of the Desert, who was lounging on the grass with a huge grin on his face. It _was _a little sinister; especially when you considered that a smile from Gaara usually meant imminent death.

_Wonder what he's thinking about…_

~*~

_Buy me a new pair…ha…_

Gaara wanted to laugh aloud at the memory, but instead managed to contain the urge in a wide smile.

~*~

As Kiba watched the sand nin, steadily becoming more and more intrigued by his enigmatic expression, two more girls came walking past. He'd learnt from experience that girls, strange excitable creatures – this particular pair were no exception – seemed to find travelling in groups preferable to walking by themselves. The Konoha shinobi had never really understood this mindset, but he had observed it enough times to let it pass without too much thought. He watched with limited interest as the two chattered inanely, before one – a petite redhead – stopped and stared at Gaara intently. The other – larger and brunette – halted too, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Hey, what's–?"

Almost immediately, a look of sudden realisation crossed the face of the smaller girl. She pointed a finger at the Kazekage and cried triumphantly, "HE'S GOT SAND IN HIS PANTS!!!"

A stunned silence followed this announcement, during which both Gaara and the girl's friend stared at her, until the brunette started laughing hysterically.

"That was it! THAT WAS IT!!!"

_What. The. Fuck._

It seemed like Gaara shared the same sentiment – he was looking after the retreating pair with a thoroughly confused expression on his face.

~*~

…_the hell…?_

That was, hands down, the weirdest thing he'd ever had yelled at him. It was almost worth getting up and following the girls to find out what they'd meant.

But, on the other hand, the grass was soft and the sun was warm. It would be a shame to move when he'd just about got comfortable. Plus eventually Kiba might stop watching from a distance and actually come over and talk to him.

That would be nice.

Complicated and awkward as fuck, but nice.

~*~

Kiba chewed his lip absentmindedly as he watched Gaara lay back down, arms crossed underneath his head. The smile had gone, but his face was smooth as he closed his eyes, soaking up the warmth of the late summer afternoon. Next to him, Akamaru let out a soft growl and Kiba leant down to scratch his head. "It's alright," he told the dog, who merely growled again, louder, disputing this view. "He won't hurt us."

It was obvious by now that Gaara liked him. On more than one occasion, he'd seen the sand shinobi watching him with a curious expression on his face, turning away red-cheeked when he'd realised that he'd been caught out. This didn't mean that they'd been speaking any more than usual – Gaara was still as antisocial as ever, but he'd been sitting a little closer to the group of late and although he didn't input anything to the conversation, he listened quietly, reacting occasionally in barely perceptible ways.

Kiba noticed. He wished he could say that it was due to his heightened senses, but actually he'd been doing his fair share of watching. Maybe more than his share. And what was more, to his chagrin, he found himself liking what he saw.

The tattoo in particular interested him no end. He found his eyes being constantly drawn to it, half-hidden under red-brown bangs. When had he got it done? Had it hurt? Why that character in particular?

Love…

This feeling. It wasn't love, he knew that. At the moment, it was more sort of attraction mixed with intrigue, but the potential was there. He knew this because, over a fortnight on, he still regularly thought back to that afternoon telling jokes, Gaara's laugh and the warmth of his smile.

Up until now, there hadn't been any more smiles. But the Kazekage's expression _had_ been softer than usual. Less remote. However, any attempts to catch him alone had been met with sudden disappearances, so eventually Kiba had stopped trying, deciding instead to sit outside with his guitar and see whether inspiration would strike.

That was what he'd been doing today. But this time, Gaara had found him.

Maybe it was accidental, simply the result of chance, but about half an hour after he'd sat down, Akamaru had started to kick up a fuss. Annoyed at the interruption, Kiba had glanced up to see the boy settling on the grass a hundred metres or so away, in the process of untangling his headphones. He was alone – this was not unusual. But he was also smiling slightly and this _was _unusual. So unusual, if fact, that from that point onwards (going on forty minutes now) he'd simply been staring, guitar forgotten, at the peaceful expression on the young ninja's face. Several times he'd almost got up to walk over and sit next to him, but a) he was worried that Gaara might just disappear again, or fix him with the cold stare he was famous for, and b) he wasn't convinced that he would deal with being around the shinobi very well. So, in the end, he remained where he was.

Now, he closed his eyes, trying to calm his heartbeat and breathing. When he opened them again, Gaara had gone.

_Well, that's one problem solved,_ he thought, trying to suppress the pang of disappointment in his chest. Sighing, he picked up the guitar again.

"Play something," commanded a voice to his right, and he looked up to see the sand ninja next to him, casually leaning against the tree as if he'd been there all along. Kiba wasn't fooled.

"You're a fast mover," he said, raising an eyebrow, feeling his pulse stutter a little before it continued as normal. The other boy stared at him for a moment, before nodding towards the instrument in his lap.

"I'd like to hear you play."

This sentiment was unexpected and Kiba looked at him in surprise. Gaara looked just as taken aback by what he'd said, but he quickly rearranged his features into an apathetic expression.

~*~

Fuck. He hadn't meant to say that.

Actually, he hadn't meant to come over at all.

For the past couple of weeks, he'd been deliberately avoiding situations where he'd find himself alone with the Konoha nin. Spending time in a group was fine – he could just sit quietly and watch the goings on without anything being expected of him. But if they were alone…

Gaara still didn't fully understand the emotion that Kiba instigated whenever they were together, but he knew enough to comprehend that it wasn't normal. And also that it most likely wasn't reciprocated. This realisation should have been the end of it, but instead he had been persistently drawn to the chunin, finding reasons to be around him, but never just him. Never alone, never for longer than necessary and definitely never somewhere where things could get out of hand. Those were his three rules for this situation, and today he'd broken them all.

No, not just broken. He'd _shattered _them.

Firstly, he'd followed Kiba when the shinobi went out, clutching his beloved guitar. Not openly of course – he wasn't stupid. No, he'd been as discreet as possible, turning up at least thirty minutes afterwards so that he could claim coincidence. At least one of his rules breached right off the bat. He'd known that the boy would be alone, with just Akamaru for company, because he'd overheard Neji saying that he was too busy with training to have a music lesson. And he'd also known that Kiba would head for a quiet, shady area where he could practice undisturbed. Sure, a few people walked by from time to time, but it could hardly be described as crowded.

Now, by staying for almost three quarters of an hour, he had violated the second rule.

The third rule, although definitely stretched by the remote surroundings, could still have been upheld. People were around, he could hear them chattering. Even though they weren't present constantly, it wasn't like they were cut off from the world.

It was only at this moment – with intense and confused brown eyes staring up at him, a small drop of blood forming on a bitten lower lip – that he realised the full extent of his mistake.

Having people around didn't make it less likely that the situation would get out of hand. Neither did being in a public place. In fact, it was all he could do right now not to launch himself at the other boy and…

…And what? Attack him? No, not attack…

Wait.

Oh God.

There was no way.

~*~

Kiba looked at the desert ninja suspiciously. His fists were clenched so hard that his nails were cutting into his palms – Kiba could smell the blood. Akamaru whined next to him, reminding him that he wouldn't be the only one in danger should Gaara lose control right now.

"Are you OK?" he asked cautiously, preparing himself to fight if need be. The other shinobi closed his eyes briefly, letting out a shuddering breath, before fixing him with a jade-green stare.

"I'm fine." The strain in his voice belied these words. "Just play."

_Too weird_. "Um…alright. What do you want to hear?"

"Anything." Closing his eyes again, Gaara slid down the trunk to sit at the bottom of the tree, keeping – Kiba noticed – a safe distance between them. He was grateful for this, but also a little put out. The other's fists were still clenched, although not quite as tightly. Taking this into account, the Konoha nin racked his memory for a song that would hopefully soothe him a little. At the same time, though, he didn't want to play anything that the sand nin might read into, which therefore ruled out almost all of the songs he knew. Desperately, he thought even harder until, finally, he remembered a short piece of music from an album someone had lent him. He had liked it so much when he first heard it that he'd spent a few days learning it, even though it was pretty complicated. Better yet, it didn't have any words, so it couldn't be taken the wrong way.

Perfect.

With once last glance at Gaara, he started to play.

As the notes mingled with the warm air, Kiba was relieved to see the tension in the sand shinobi's body start to ease, although his eyes remained closed. Reaching the end of the piece, Kiba made to put the guitar back down, but a hand on his arm stopped him, stopped everything, including his breathing. Gaara faced him, green eyes beseeching. "Keep going?" he murmured, voice barely audible. These words – more request than demand – sent shivers along Kiba's skin. Dumbly, he nodded, playing the first thing that came into his head.

The hand was removed and he was sorry about that, but it was worth the loss of contact for the look of complete contentment that spread over the other's face. "Sing," a whisper implored him, and he did, voice a little shaky.

~*~

Damn.

Gaara knew exactly what this was. He'd known from the start, really, but denial was good. Now, however, everything was clearer than crystal and he didn't like it.

But he liked the music.

And he really liked the voice. It soothed him, comforted him, but at the same time it managed to send chills all the way down his spine.

"_There's a heart on the line and it rests with your eyes. Please don't fade and please don't cry, coz it's all white lies. Take a chance, watch it fall, grab too much and lose it all. Now I've lost my disguise; it was all white lies…_"

Chocolate-coloured orbs met his gaze, uncertain, imploring and so damn beautiful that he found himself unable to look away. This was a bitch. But it was the next line that was the real killer.

"_Stay here, lie with me here_…"

Clarity. Shock. A wave of something unknown, unfamiliar but not entirely unwelcome. Kiba's voice faltered, the playing stopped. One look at his face told Gaara that he'd felt it too. Whatever _it _was.

~*~

_Fuck, what the hell just happened?!_

One minute he'd been singing, the next he'd caught Gaara's eyes and everything had suddenly turned upside down, fading into fuzzy nothingness until the other boy was the only clear thing. That was illogical, not to mention proof that he was finally going insane.

It was also the last straw as far as his wayward emotions were concerned. Enough was enough. He had to go. Where didn't matter, as long as it was away from Gaara, at least for the moment.

"I-I have to…" he stuttered, fumbling for an excuse and clumsily gathering up the pages of his notebook that were scattered around him. As it turned out, an excuse wasn't necessary.

"Of course…" Gaara said quietly, looking as shell-shocked as he felt. "Um…thanks for playing for me."

"Anytime," Kiba responded automatically, before mentally kicking himself. God, that was a terrible idea. The _last _thing he needed was a repeat of…of whatever that was.

Akamaru nudged his leg, reminding him of his need to escape. "Well…guess I'll see you."

The desert nin made no response as the chunin grabbed his guitar by the neck and left as quickly as he could without actually running.

_Crap. This is not good._

~*~

_This is bad…_

Well…he'd known it wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

**Thanks for reading =) If you have time, I'd love to know what you think. Unless, you know, you're only going to diss teh pairing in which case NO. Although I suppose everyone's entitled to their own opinion... ¬_¬**


	4. Tattoo

**Yep, another chapter =D I'd like to point out that the reason these are going up so quickly is coz I already had them written out on my laptop. So yeah. Um...believe it.**

**This one is the result of a bus brainstorm! ^^ I wanted to have Gaara trying to pet Akamaru without much success, because it amuses me.**

**Btw, Gaara is withholding the real reason behind his tattoo because, you know, it's a pretty big deal. Plus although he really likes Kiba, he's not sure that he can trust him. Yeah, that's kind of OOC isn't it? Considering he pretty much gave Naruto and Shikamaru his whole life story when he met them in the hospital...**

**But these two aren't perfectly in character anyway. So nay mind.**

* * *

"That tattoo…" Kiba pointed at the offending mark. "When did you get it? What made you get 'love'?"

He and Gaara were sitting underneath what they both (secretly) referred to as 'their' tree, on one of the many guitar excursions they had taken together. A while ago – neither of them could remember exactly when – Gaara had been invited along on a practicing session, and somewhere along the line it had just become a regular thing. The sand shinobi declined the invitation when other people were going to be there, but he always followed the Konoha nin in secret afterwards. Kiba, who had long since learned to recognise his scent, kindly pretended not to notice and always acted surprised when Gaara chose to reveal himself. Neji had mentioned the concealed presence the first couple of times, but had then lost interest. Naruto, who was also learning guitar (although at a much slower pace than the Hyuga genius) either refrained from comment or simply hadn't realised. As soon as whoever he'd been teaching had gone, Gaara would appear silently, almost as if he'd been there the entire time. Which, of course, he had.

Against all odds, the two shinobi had actually become friends.

This fact did not please Akamaru, a regular presence on their outings (as Kiba rarely went anywhere without him). Despite the easy way his master acted around the desert ninja, the dog remained tense and distrustful, growling if Gaara did something he didn't like. Which was pretty often.

"I got it a few years ago," the Kazekage was saying now. "Before I became a genin."

"Did it hurt?" The chunin tried and failed to keep the concern out of his voice.

"A little. But nothing I couldn't handle."

"So…why that character in particular?"

"A reminder." Long pale fingers reached up to touch the symbol. "I only fought for myself and only loved myself. That was all I needed."

"It sounds lonely." Kiba drew his knees up to his chest. "Do you still believe that?"

"I have friends now," the other told him. "I'm grateful for those friends, but ultimately I believe that I am still alone. Love is an emotion that will probably always elude me."

The leaf nin opened his mouth, about to dispute this view, before closing it again and turning his face slightly away so that Gaara wouldn't see the blush on his cheeks. He wasn't willing to get into that side of himself. At least, not now. Once the colour had faded, he glanced back towards the sand nin who, he was amazed to see, had extended a hand towards Akamaru, keeping it hovering above the dog's head.

Akamaru snarled, daring him to _just try it_.

"Akamaru," Kiba warned, disapproval present in his tone. "Let him. He's not going to hurt you."

A snort showed exactly what the dog thought of this view, but the growling died down to a quiet rumbling as Akamaru proceeded to look as sulky as possible.

Gaara brought his palm down on the dog's head stiffly, a little more forcefully than necessary. Kiba stifled a laugh at the shinobi's ineptitude when it came to petting animals, but decided to come to Akamaru's rescue in case his patience ran out and Gaara ended up with a row of toothmarks on his arm.

"You're doing it too hard," the dark-haired boy said, putting his hand over the other's "Look, here…"

Slowly and deliberately, he moved Gaara's hand up and down so that he was gently stroking the soft fur. The dog still wasn't happy about it, but at least he looked less likely to take the Kazekage's hand off, which was an improvement.

After a little while, the movement stopped. It was only when the sand ninja flexed his fingers that Kiba realised they were still…well, not holding hands exactly, but still touching enough to make him melt a little. Blushing profusely, both boys hurriedly pulled away and turned away in opposite directions.

"S-sorry about that," Kiba said, cursing himself immediately for stuttering like some kind of lovesick idiot.

"That's fine." Come to think of it, Gaara's voice didn't sound all that steady either. "Don't worry about it."

God, this was ridiculous. Another fricking _moment _to chalk up on their metaphorical blackboard. There had been way too many of those – certain times when he'd felt light-headed and dizzy, unable to breathe properly, his pulse thumping in his ears. They only lasted a minute or so, but the effect they had usually lingered for hours, sometimes even _days_, after the initial…whatever…had passed.

Fuck. He could still feel the warmth of those fingers. It was nothing if not distracting.

"Song?" he asked, aware it wasn't a complete sentence but not really caring too much. It was more than he sometimes managed after stuff like that happened. Music was a good way to shrug it off. As long as it wasn't anything that hinted at…anything.

"Sure." The impassive tone was back in the other shinobi's voice, which made him feel better.

"Any requests?" Kiba strummed experimentally, reassured by the easy way his hands moved over the strings.

"I don't mind." This was the usual response. "Play what you want."

Right now, what he really needed was something familiar. Something that he knew well, that he could play without having to think too much. Hopefully it would ground him and get his damn leg to stop shaking.

Actually, there was a song he hadn't played in a while. It popped into his head without much prompting and, luckily, he remembered exactly how it went.

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**Thank you for reading. Feel free to express opinion.**


	5. Reminder

**Angst. Angst is good.**

**Yep, this is the last chapter update for a little while, because I'll be away from an internet connection for six weeks (and coz...er...I haven't actually written the next part yet ^^;). There may be opportunities for updating, but I cannot make promises. I need to work on my KakaIru fic as well! D: Onoes!**

**Can't believe this is the fifth chapter! Holy shiz...**

**I know the sand defences would probably react anyway, but I think the concept of them being ineffective against affection is cute :) Maybe that's just me, though...**

**So yes. There it is.**

* * *

Gaara stiffened as familiar notes filled the air.

This song…

_No…not this song…_

"_Those three words that keep on turning me inside out are the same three words that you say you need to hear right now. Why do I find them so damn hard just to say…?_"

_Shit._

A little more of this husky voice would finish him off. He could feel his restraint coming undone, weakening with every word. If this kept up…

If…

If this kept up for much longer then he would have no choice but to fling himself at the Konoha shinobi. And then Kiba would know. He'd know and get freaked out and leave.

Somehow the prospect of being alone seemed so much worse after these past few weeks…months… however long it had been since they'd started spending time together.

It was dangerous. A stupid dangerous risk that he shouldn't have taken in the first place.

Well, he was bloody paying for it now, wasn't he?

"_These four hours drag on like an_–"

"Stop."

The word had come out more sharply than he'd intended. Eyes the colour of hazelnuts turned to him, looking confused and a little surprised.

"What?"

"Not that song. Something else."

"You don't like it?"

_Well, actually, I love it. The only problem is that listening to you singing it makes me want to kiss you to death._

"No. It annoys me."

"_What_?!" The confusion turned to outrage with amazing speed and the boy leapt to his feet. "How is that even possible?! It's an _amazing _song! One of my favourites! And you don't like it?!"

Damn. He'd forgotten how easily the shinobi got offended when somebody insulted his music. "I just find it somewhat irritating, that's all."

Kiba shook his head, a look of indignation plastered across his face. "That's just sad. Really, you have no taste at all."

"Calm down. It's just one song."

"_One _song? It's an _epic_ song! I don't understand how you can hate it. And you seemed like a decent guy…you must be completely tone deaf, I swear!"

"Hey," Gaara frowned in annoyance. "That's out of line."

"Don't you _have _music in Suna?! How the hell were you raised?!"

"Well excuse me for having a different upbringing to you!" The Kazekage was well-aware that this argument was getting ridiculous, that Kiba was just overreacting and that he should back down and let him cool off. But the slight about his village, combined with the fact that the leaf chunin's words stung more than they ought to, not to mention that he could still feel the warmth of that hand over his own, meant that he'd almost completely lost his temper. "Amazingly enough, having to survive assassination attempts by your own family doesn't leave you much time to enjoy stupid songs about emotions that you've never got the chance to feel! God you're such a–"

Gaara broke off, furious to find tears welling up in his eyes. This was so fucking stupid. What did this moronic shinobi know anyway? Nothing. As if he could even _begin _to understand what he'd been through.

Gritting his teeth, he looked up to see Kiba staring at him, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, what?" he said, trying to get his breathing under control. "Come on then!" With his sand defences, the Konoha nin wouldn't even be able to touch him.

The brown-haired boy let out a low growl as he crouched, ready to spring. Gaara tensed, readying himself for an attack. He didn't have long to wait. The other launched himself towards him and he waited for the sound of a body hitting a wall of sand.

It never came.

Instead, he found himself forced to the ground, completely winded as a heavy and very solid body landed on top of him.

_What? What the hell happened?! Why didn't the sand defend me?_

"I'm sorry," a voice whispered, too close to his ear. Perilously close. "I wasn't thinking. I had no idea you…I'm so sorry Gaara."

Arms tightened around his neck, but not strongly enough to hurt him.

This was…

_Oh…that's why…_

_He's…_

Kiba was warm, and the warmth was nice. Gaara knew that he should probably be pushing him off, getting up, getting away, but instead his arms rose almost of their own accord, tentatively embracing the other. He found he didn't want to let go of this – the most contact he'd ever had with another human being.

Too soon, he felt Kiba shift, the warmth disappearing until he was left lying on his back, staring up at the boy above him. The leaf ninja grinned awkwardly, offering a hand to help him up. He took it without thinking. It sent tingles across his skin.

"Er…sorry. I didn't hurt you, did I?" Kiba looked sheepish, clasping his hands behind his back as he regarded the shinobi with apprehension.

"I'm fine. You just took me by surprise, that's all."

That whisper, the sincerity…it still echoed in his thoughts. He knew he wouldn't forget it as long as he lived, which was in equal parts comforting and annoying.

Things had just got a hell of a lot more complicated.

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**Thank you for your time ^^**


	6. Picnic

**Hey there! =D It's been a while, ne?**

**OK, I know I've been slacking on this story. Please forgive me. But I just read a really good Kiba/Gaara fanfic (Deafening Silence by Jubpawz, in case you're interested) and I got randomly inspired. Then I went back over some old deviantART conversations I had with a friend and got even more inspired. So I wrote this chapter. Just now, in fact. Yes, it's fresh off the press, just for you ^^**

**It's fairly short, but don't worry because I'm just about to start writing the next bit, which should be up later tonight (if I don't fall asleep) or at some point tomorrow (if I do). And then, hopefully, if I can link stuff together properly I should be able to upload at least another two chapters. Promises, promises... XD**

**I've been pretty shoddy with disclaimers lately, so I'd better put one in now:**

***DISCLAIMER*: Although I love these characters with all my heart and soul, they are not mine. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto, as well you should know.**

* * *

"We," announced Kiba, addressing the shinobi in general, "should go for a picnic."

A chorus of groans went up at this suggestion. Most of the ninja obviously considered it too hot to move.

"Come on!" Kiba tried again, ignoring the fact that Neji and Shikamaru were steadily shifting towards the door. "It's a really nice day. You can't just waste it by sitting indoors. I'll even bring the food. Depending on how many people are coming," he added quickly, noticing several pairs of eyes lighting up at the bribe.

It seemed like everyone was considering the idea – or, at least, they'd actually looked up from what they were doing. But after a couple of seconds thought (if that), Sasuke quickly said "Pass" and went back to studying his scroll or whatever the hell he was holding.

"That's fine with me," snorted Naruto rudely, flipping Sasuke the finger. "No one wanted you there anyway, stupid teme. I'll go Kiba, if you bring ramen."

"Naruto." Shikamaru's lazy drawl came from the doorway. Apparently he had given up trying to escape, as he was stretched out on the floor, lazily examining a fingernail. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Kiba watched as the blond screwed his face up in thought. "Um...no. Why?"

"Didn't you promise Iruka-sensei that you'd eat lunch with him today? He wanted to catch up, remember?"

Light dawned. "Oh yeah! Ah, sorry Kiba. Maybe some other time."

"'Fraid I'll have to decline too," Shikamaru yawned, slowly rising back to his feet. "I have a date."

"With who?" scoffed Kiba, slightly annoyed at the fact that everyone seemed to have more of a life than he did.

Shikamaru merely fixed him with a cynical stare. "Your mum," he stated bluntly, before turning and sauntering off.

"Oh, _real _mature," Kiba shouted after him. He cast a quick glance over the remaining ninja. Apart from Naruto, there wasn't really anyone who would be willing to provide him with company. Gaara, he noted with a worrying stab of disappointment, was not there. Obviously he, too, had better things to do. "Lee?" Kiba asked half-heartedly.

The green-clad nin looked up with an apologetic smile. "I have training this afternoon. Sorry Kiba."

"No problem," Kiba told him and, feeling put out and a little bit lonely, he called Akamaru and left, heading for the local supermarket.

_Screw it_, he thought, a little bitterly. _More food for me_.

Just as he was resigning himself to a peaceful – if a little secluded – afternoon with his dog and guitar, Akamaru froze, his hackles went up and he began to emit a low, throaty growl. The Konoha nin tensed, instantly on guard, then relaxed as a familiar scent reached his nostrils.

"Afternoon," said a voice from his right, although he had been sure that no one had been there a second ago.

"You're getting better," he told the owner of the voice, taking care to conceal the rush of elation he felt upon seeing the scarlet-haired Suna nin standing in front of him.

This ludicrous happiness was strangely intensified as he noted that Gaara was wearing a loose, short-sleeved white shirt with four or five buttons undone.

_Looks nice_, Kiba noted, before mentally kicking himself. He wasn't supposed to notice things like that, for crying out loud. It was just a shirt.

His errant thought caused him to blush slightly and for a little while he couldn't think of anything to say. Gaara watched him with some amusement, running a hand through his hair in a manner that _should not be distracting, dammit!_

"So," the Kazekage said, rescuing Kiba from further embarrassment, "what are you up to this fine afternoon?"

"How come you're in such a good mood?" Kiba countered, noting – despite his confused state – that this wasn't really normal behaviour for Gaara.

The sand ninja shrugged. "Nice day. I had a good morning. You should be grateful I'm in a good mood."

The other boy relaxed slightly, because this was more like the Gaara he knew, which was reassuring. He didn't think he could cope with any out of character weirdness today. Or anything that might make he himself behave irrationally. Like that stupid hug two weeks ago. Seriously, what the hell had that been about?

"So?" Gaara prompted, narrowing his eyes slightly and folding his arms.

Pushing the memory to the back of his mind before it did any more damage, Kiba managed to compose himself enough to say, "I was planning on a picnic, actually. Don't suppose you'd want to come along?"

As soon as he'd said it, he wanted to take it back. The music stuff was fine, but why the hell would the fricking _Kazekage _want to go on a stupid picnic with a lowly chunin? It was an absurd suggestion, so of course Gaara was going to say–

"Really?" The leaf ninja watched, astonished, as jade-green eyes lit up a little. "Who else is going?"

"Pah!" Kiba snorted distastefully. "The others are too damn lazy to come with me."

"So...it would be just you and me?"

_Oh, __**crap**_.

"Um...yeah, guess so. But...you know...not like a date or anything."

Now why in _hell _had he said that?! It sounded so childish, like an academy student hastily backpedalling to avoid being found out by the girl he had a crush on. Kiba's gaze dropped immediately to the floor, feeling amazingly juvenile. Even though he _knew _Gaara wasn't that much older than he was – only just over six months, in fact.

So why, talking to him now, did he feel like a little kid?

Maybe the difference in their ranks was finally hitting home.

"Yeah, I know." The casual way his comment was dismissed only made Kiba feel worse. It was obvious that this possibility hadn't even crossed the other's mind. The chunin glanced up.

And saw, to his complete amazement, that Gaara's face had turned roughly the same colour as his hair.

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**Hope you liked it =) Any comments are much appreciated.**


	7. Truth

**There we go *beams proudly* Told you I'd get it done. Two new chapters in two hours. I'm quite pleased with myself actually.**

**I'm not altogether happy with the ending to this one - it seems OOC to me and also a bit cheesy, but I figure that Gaara must have a serious amount of bottled-up emotion. So that makes it OK. (I think.)**

**Nothing in particular comes to fruition in this chapter, despite the title. And I might have to write another one before I can post the ones with more purpose up here. It depends. At the moment I'm too tired to think properly.**

**Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine in any way, shape or form. **

* * *

Gaara knew, just _knew_, that he was blushing. The fact that his face felt like it was on fire was a dead giveaway. And pretending that he didn't understand why didn't change this fact.

Kiba's innocent comment had practically made his head explode. And that, for someone considered as the most powerful and responsible ninja in their village, was pretty pathetic really.

Also, it _really _didn't help that the chunin was now staring at him like he'd grown an extra nose. Because _that _was just making him go even more red. If it was physically possible for him to do so. Stupid hormones. Stupid Kiba. And stupid _whatever this thing was _because he was actually starting to _sound_ like the leaf nin now.

He was unbelievably grateful, therefore, when Kiba dropped his gaze with a muttered "Shop?" To which he could only nod dumbly and follow as the other led the way. He remained in this disoriented state for the entirety of the journey, only snapping out of it when they stepped inside the doors of the supermarket at the air con hit him.

"So...um...what do you want?" Kiba asked, a little uncertainly. "I'm buying."

_Does that make me the girl?_ asked Gaara's stupid brain, before he could react. _Of course it doesn't, _he told himself. _We're not even fricking dating._

Oh great. Now he was even using the other boy's curse words.

"Anything without sweet beans in it is fine," he said, trying to sound as offhand as possible.

With a non-committal noise, Kiba disappeared down one of the aisles, allowing Gaara to relax slightly and, for the first time, take note of his surroundings. He appeared to be standing in front of the raw meat counter, but dismissed the idea of asking for liver – despite the fact it made his mouth water in anticipation – because it couldn't really be described as a 'picnic food'. Deciding that he'd be better away from temptation, the Suna nin stepped into the next aisle, which was packed from floor to ceiling with noodles. It looked like Naruto's personal haven, made all the more so due to the small sign fixed to one of the shelves that read "ALL RAMEN HALF PRICE".

On impulse, Gaara took down half a dozen or so containers, making sure to get a good variety of flavours. Also, he noticed a couple of packets of beef jerky sitting nonchalantly on the shelf next to him and, remembering Kiba mentioning that he liked the stuff (although he personally couldn't really see the appeal), decided to get those too. Taking his armful of food to the counter, the woman behind him grinned in a friendly manner as he paid and, unaccustomed to being smiled at by strangers, Gaara gave a tentative smile in return.

As he was handed his carrier bag, Kiba came staggering round the corner, carrying what looked like half the shop and wearing a dark scowl on his face. His own transaction was carried out in monosyllables and Gaara had to thank the shop owner on the chunin's behalf as the latter stomped out of the supermarket, grumbling under his breath.

They were almost at the park by the time Gaara had worked up the nerve to ask what was wrong.

"They were out," Kiba muttered. "My favourite fricking food and they go and sell out of it."

God, was that it? From the way Kiba was acting, Gaara had thought he'd been attacked by enemy ninja somewhere in the bakery section.

Reaching their tree, the Konoha shinobi dumped the bags down at the foot of the trunk and sat down heavily, drawing his knees to his chest and glowering sullenly into the distance.

"Kiba?"

A grunt was the only response.

"I got you something."

This was enough to make the other look round curiously – although he was still scowling – and Gaara brought the packets of jerky out, offering them to the leaf nin.

Kiba's face almost literally lit up as he realised what he was being handed. "Wow! Thank you! Where did you get these?"

"They were down the aisle with the ramen," Gaara shrugged, secretly pleased. "These were the only ones left."

"That's why I couldn't find them! I really owe you one. I'd go crazy without my jerky. Seriously." Grinning, he ripped a packet open and began happily gnawing on a strip, offering one to Gaara (who declined) and to Akamaru (who took it with relish).

"What were you doing down the ramen aisle?" Kiba asked, the thought obviously having just occurred to him. The sand nin gestured to the carrier bag.

"Those for Naruto?" the chunin asked after examining the contents. He sounded surprised.

"I thought he'd like them." Gaara felt a little embarrassed. To be honest, he had no idea what had possessed him to buy the ramen. It had just seemed like a good idea at the time. Kiba was looking at him with something like admiration so, although that made him feel better than he'd ever care to admit, it was probably a good idea to change the subject.

"So," Gaara asked, turning his gaze to the carrier bags covering most of the ground space around them, "what did you get?"

***

The picnic passed without incident, aside from a few stray glances and a minor disagreement when Gaara tried to pay for his half of the food (Kiba refused point blank, stating that it was his treat and that he'd take it as a personal insult if the sand nin didn't shut up and eat).

Gaara's first impression had been that they'd never be able to eat everything but, to his surprise, by the time he was too full to eat another bite, all the food that Kiba had bought had disappeared. The provider of the feast was leaning against the rough bark of the tree, beloved guitar in hand, strumming idly as the sound mixed in with the warm breeze of the afternoon. The sound brought Gaara back to that time two weeks ago, when he'd lost his temper. When Kiba had hugged him.

It was a dangerous train of thought, particularly when the boy in question was sitting a few feet away. But the more Gaara thought about it, the more details came back to him, and he remembered something – which had been buried beneath the flood of emotions caused by Kiba's hug – that the other had asked about.

"You remember you wanted to know about my tattoo?" he asked suddenly, cutting into the quiet chords filling the air.

Kiba stared at him for a few seconds, before slowly laying his guitar down in the grass. "Yeah," came the quiet reply.

"Do you…" Gaara faltered slightly, before clearing his throat and starting again, trying to shake the complex feelings struggling to make themselves heard. "Do you want to know the whole story?"

"Would you tell me honestly if I did?" came the guarded reply. Kiba refused to look him in the eyes. He seemed a little flushed – no doubt he too was remembering their previous situation.

"I would."

"Then please tell me." The dark-haired shinobi shifted towards him slightly – a barely perceptible movement that Gaara immediately noticed – reaching out a hand to pat Akamaru. "I'd like to know."

"It's…" Gaara drew his legs up to his chest, suddenly stuck by a wave of uncharacteristic self-consciousness. "It's not exactly a pleasant story."

"I sort of guessed that," the other said, half-teasing, offering him a small smile. "That's why I didn't want to ask about it. It was fairly obvious that it's not an easy subject for you. I didn't want to hurt you."

At this sentiment, Gaara's head threatened to explode again. Without warning, his mouth opened and the whole story came spilling out, from his loneliness as a child to his presumed acceptance by Yashamaru, the betrayal, his vow of solitude; all of it. Everything he'd told Naruto, but more as well. How much his father's hatred had hurt him. His desire for friendship and acceptance. Things he'd never told anyone.

He wasn't even sure why he needed to tell Kiba this. But he did need to. He had to.

When he had finished, the torrent of words ringing in both their ears, Kiba looked shocked. Appalled even. And it wasn't really surprising, was it? Gaara's childhood couldn't exactly be described as normal.

But he'd more than made up for it by hurting other people, killing them, proving his right to exist again and again by destroying everything in his way.

For the second time in a fortnight, Gaara had tears in his eyes.

Kiba knew now. Not all of the things he'd done, but enough to make him wary. Enough to frighten him away. Because now, surely, he would leave. And Gaara would be alone to love himself, and only himself, for the rest of his life.

The world blurred. His eyes burned.

Warm fingers enclosed his palm. A hand tilted his chin up and the sand ninja met a gaze the colour of hazelnuts. Eyes that had no fear in them, only sympathy and concern.

The expression swam before him as Gaara blinked, a droplet of water falling onto the fingers touching his face. The other hand squeezed his own reassuringly.

Kiba hugged him.

And Gaara cried.

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**Thanks for reading. Comment if you like.**


	8. Leaves And Leaving

**Hello again! ^^**

**Damn...I don't know why I always get inspired to write at four in the morning...it's completely absurd...I should be sleeping!**

**Anyway, I must start this chapter with thanks to a very kind reviewer. So...um...thank you very much! I really appreciate the comments you made – they fill me with absurd happiness =D I wish you'd left your name, though, so that I could thank you properly!**

**In any case, this short and angsty chapter is dedicated to my mystery reviewer (who I bet is really thrilled with my ineptitude at writing D=), and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these fine ninja, which is probably a good thing.**

**I'm really stringing things out, aren't I? Sadly I'm enjoying myself and so I'm in no hurry to let this series end =) Saying that, however, all good things must end sometime and soon I think everything will come to a climax...I'm putting pressure on myself here...ohgod...I'd probably best shut up...**

**Reviews are much appreciated, as ever ^^**

* * *

It took a surprisingly short time for the long, hot days of summer to dissolve into chillier, shorter days of autumn. The change was almost as subtle as the turning of the trees, but Kiba still noticed every slight difference, putting it down to his heightened senses.

Collections of swirling multicoloured leaves began to appear at random points through the village, blowing into people's faces, littering the ground and generally being an irritation. Because of this, the Hokage decided that something should be done about it. And because apparently she had a twisted sense of humour, Kiba found himself summoned to her office, before a rake was thrust into his hand and he was pushed with monster force out of the door, face first into a pile of oak leaves. Spitting the nasty things out of his mouth, he turned to yell several choice expletives at Lady Tsunade, only to find that she had retreated back into the safety of her rooms – where she was no doubt sniggering and procrastinating.

It seemed he didn't really have a choice. Picking himself up and grumbling under his breath, he began to rake furiously at the leaf pile, intent on creating a barricade against the Hokage's door so that she would have to stay inside for the rest of her life and not bother him anymore. The fact that this thought was both juvenile and impractical failed to matter in his mind, as he was doing a fairly good job of blocking it out.

"Stupid-" _sweep _"-Tsunade-" _sweep_ "-acting like I'm a bloody slave-" _sweep_ "-this is academy student work-" _sweep _"-I'm a fricking chunin for fuck's sake-" _sw_–

"No good, Kiba. For a chunin, you're not very observant. You should have at least smelt me coming. And why the hell are you covered in leaves?"

_Crap._

"Good morning to you, too," Kiba growled, beginning to scrape even more feverishly, feeling his face go red and hating himself for it. "And these fricking leaves are the whole fricking reason I didn't smell you coming. I can't pick up anything except must and dirt."

"Pretty lucky I'm not an enemy, isn't it?" Gaara smirked, observing him with an expression that looked far too amused for Kiba's liking. The leaf nin resisted the temptation to throw the rake at him.

"If you're not going to help then go away," Kiba mumbled sulkily, turning his back on the Kazekage to hide his embarrassment at being caught doing such a menial task – not to mention the fact that he probably looked like a tramp.

"I am," came the quiet reply, filled with enough regret to make the chunin turn back around, noticing for the first time that the other was wearing the traditional clothes of his village and that his gourd was strapped to his back. Kiba was suddenly getting a really bad feeling about this, and it was only confirmed by what Gaara said next. "I came to say goodbye."

"Why?!" A panicked shout burst out of Kiba's throat before he could make any attempt to stop it. "Where are you going?"

"Back to Suna. It is my city after all, and I can only ask Kankuro to act as Hokage for so long. I need to see my people again. Otherwise they might think about replacing me," he added, but the accompanying grin held no humour.

"How long will you be gone?" the Konoha nin choked out, feeling his throat constrict around the words.

"I'm not sure," the other said, gazing at him with an expression that made Kiba want to burst into tears or hug him or both. "It'll be a few months at least. I stayed here too long. It was reckless behaviour unbefitting a kage. I can't allow my personal whims to interfere with my duties. I've got to go back." This last sentence was uttered in a soft undertone. "I have to."

"A few months isn't so bad," the chunin shrugged, resuming his sweeping and trying not to think about how slowly the time would pass without the redhead around. "It's not like it's forever, right?"

The ominous silence filled him with dread.

"Right, Gaara?"

"I don't know."

The words sent a jarring shock through Kiba's system and he froze, the rake clattering to the ground at his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I've been away for too long. I have duties to carry out. Expectations to meet. It might be a long time before I get to return here." Their eyes met for the first time in five minutes. "Maybe years."

The leaf ninja's stomach suddenly felt like it was lined with lead. "Y-years?" he repeated quietly, trying hard not to let his disappointment and upset show on his face. He was a chunin, he had to stay composed and besides, it wasn't like he needed Gaara in order to survive or anything, was it? And even if it felt like that was the case, it wasn't good for him to have that level of dependence on someone else. Especially if that person was another guy, someone who was supposed to be just a friend and, most importantly, one of the most powerful ninja in existence.

"I hope not," Gaara gave him a forced smile. "I'm probably just being pessimistic."

Silently, a ninja with the sand symbol engraved on his headband appeared in front of them, bowing in respect to the Kazekage. "My lord, it is time to leave."

"Thank you, Yura," Gaara told him, "I'll be with you in a moment."

The sand nin bowed again before vanishing, but Kiba barely noticed him leave. Instead he was studying the change in Gaara's demeanour – all of a sudden he was holding himself differently, in a manner that quietly commanded respect. Even his voice sounded like that of a leader. _Which he is_, Kiba thought, mentally kicking himself. _He's Subaku No Gaara, Kazekage and commander of the sand. You know that. You've always known._

But he hadn't, not really. In fact, for almost the entirety of this past summer, Kiba had thought of him as just Gaara, his friend, someone who liked his music and was fun to hang out with. Not as someone with this much authority. He could only really think of one occasion where their difference in rank had crossed his mind, and even that had been brief. No, he'd just thought of him as a friend. His best friend.

"I have to go," Gaara said, breaking the miserable silence, and Kiba nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The other seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then the leaf nin's vision was filled with scarlet hair as the sand nin hugged him so hard that almost all the breath was crushed out of him.

"I'm going to fricking miss you," Gaara's voice whispered in his ear, but before he had time to register the use of his own curse-word, the Kazekage was pulling away, lifting a hand to extract a leaf from his hair before disappearing with the saddest smile he'd ever seen.

"Me too," Kiba said to the air, picking up the rake to start sweeping again, before his vision blurred and he realised it was pointless. Even without considering that he'd conveniently overlooked the fact that Gaara was the leader of Suna, he'd still been deluding himself.

Because he'd never really thought of the other as just a friend, had he?

Not that it really mattered now, when there was no telling when they'd see each other again.

So he might as well forget it.

Just forget it.

~*~

Gaara pressed the leaf to his mouth, ignoring the earthy taste. He wanted to fall to his knees and scream. It was taking every single ounce of self-control he had not to turn back.

"Sir?" Yura looked at him warily, concern in his expression. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he lied, hoisting the gourd further up onto his back. "Let's go."

* * *

**And thus our two young romantics are left torn asunder...sorry to leave things in such a mess. Hopefully the next chapter won't be quite so angsty and miserable...**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	9. Return

**Ah, I couldn't leave them apart for long, could I? XD**

**Just like to point out that this wasn't a planned chapter – I'd finished writing the next one, before I decided to go back and add in this instead.**

**I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter =D I like the Gaara/Kankuro brotherliness. It makes me happy ^^ Plus, for some reason, writing Kankuro's name amuses me...probably because I'm an idiot...**

**Disclaimer: They're not mine, guys. I just write here.**

**Reviews are good ^^ *shameless hinting***

* * *

"So, hang on...you're telling me you don't even know where this guy lives?"

"I did know, Kankuro," Gaara said through gritted teeth, fighting hard to keep his temper, "but he's obviously moved."

"Well you'd better hurry up and find him then, hadn't you?" Behind the make-up, Kankuro's face looked too amused for its own good. "I'm anxious to be properly introduced to the boy my little brother's been pining for."

"I wasn't pining." _Mustn't kill him, remember he's my brother.._."I just didn't feel well, that's all."

"Oh, bullshit you didn't. So that's why you've been acting all antsy ever since you came back? And why you decided to leave three days ago, in a hell of a hurry, with no explanation? You're lucky you're the Kazekage, Gaara. No one below your rank would get away with half of this stuff."

"Shut up, Kankuro!" Gaara's mood was black and getting darker by the second. "No one forced you to come along!"

"You needed protection." A shrug accompanied this reply. "And I was curious. I knew whatever you wanted to come here for, it must have been important."

"Well, now you know. So why don't you just go home?"

"What, and miss the great reunion?" Kankuro grinned. "I don't think so. Besides, I'm not exactly in a rush to pick up your slack back in Suna. Playing Kazekage isn't as much fun as it sounds, you know."

"Try doing my job," Gaara muttered, picking up the pace. He was heading for the academy, where surely _somebody _would know where the hell Kiba was.

***

"_Inuzuka you say? Hmm...sorry, Lord Kazekage, if he's not at the family house them I'm afraid I don't know where he could be."_

"_Have you tried the training grounds, sir? You might be able to find him there."_

"_If he's moved then he could be anywhere, Kazekage-sama. I don't really have the time to keep track on chunin."_

"_Oh, Kiba? Sorry, Gaara-san, as far as I knew he was still living at home. Let me know if you find him, won't you?"_

"Well, that was a giant waste of time," Kankuro yawned, and by this time it seemed like killing him wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

"Kankuro, you're not helping," Gaara growled, sinking down onto a bench in defeat. "Bloody hell...this is fricking ridiculous...I just wanted to see him...that shouldn't be so difficult."

His older brother sat down next to him, an expression of sympathy on his face. "I wouldn't worry, Gaara. He hasn't moved out of the village, otherwise people would know about it. We're bound to run into someone who knows where he is sooner or later."

"I hope so," Gaara sighed, resting his head in his hands. It had been a long day. Plus the air was bitterly cold – something desert ninja weren't used to, and the temperature combined with his tiredness and frustration meant that he felt ready to drop.

"You really love him, don't you?"

The Kazekage's head shot back up at this, and he was about to argue before he met Kankuro's eyes and realised that there was no point. "Yeah," he admitted instead, before managing a weak smile. "Am I really that obvious?"

"Well, Temari knows, so you must be pretty obvious," Kankuro grinned, ruffling Gaara's hair affectionately. "Ah, don't worry about it. Just don't let it interfere with your duties too much, OK?"

"I'll try. Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. You're just lucky I'm tired. When I'm feeling better I'm going to give you hell. Come on. Let's keep looking. The sooner we find him, the sooner I can–"

"Gaara! Hey there!"

A pink-haired Kunoichi appeared in front of them, beaming from ear to ear as she bowed politely.

"Sakura." Gaara nodded in recognition. "It's been a while."

"So what brings you to Konoha? Anything I can help with?"

The Suna nin scrutinised her for a moment. Would she jump to conclusions if he told her? Probably not – she knew that he and Kiba were friends after all, so it wasn't too weird for him to want to go and say hi.

"I'm looking for Kiba. Do you know where he is?"

"Ah, yes, I do!" Gaara's heart leapt. "Sorry, but he's off on a mission with Shino and Hinata right now. I don't know how long he'll be gone, but he probably won't be back until this evening."

"Oh." And cue mood plummeting again. "Well, thanks anyway, Sakura."

"You could always wait at Naruto's place for him, if you want. It beats sitting out here in the cold, right?"

Gaara frowned. "Why would he be at Naruto's?"

"Oh of course! You wouldn't know! He moved in there about a week ago. I'm not really sure why, but it's probably good for him to have company. He's pretty down right now. Hopefully you'll be able to cheer him up."

"I hope so." _He's at Naruto's! _"Thank you very much."

"No problem! Well, duty calls, but hopefully I'll see you again. Bye!"

She rushed off, leaving a delighted Gaara and an appreciative Kankuro in her wake.

"She's kind of hot," the latter pointed out.

"She's fiercer than she looks," the Kazekage told him. "Think Temari, but stronger."

"Seriously?" Kankuro was now looking after Sakura with a generous amount of terror. "Damn...well, I really hope you know where Naruto lives. Call me crazy, but I don't really fancy hanging about in the cold for hours."

***

Of course he wouldn't be home. Because that was just the way Gaara's luck was working today. And so they'd been standing here, in what were probably sub-zero temperatures, for the best part of three hours. It paid to be patient, but even ninjas have their limits.

"I can't feel my feet," Kankuro grumbled, shuffling about restlessly.

"Quit whining," Gaara told him, even though he was numb pretty much everywhere by this point. "The sun's setting. He'll be back soon."

"Will you tell him?"

He didn't need to ask what his older brother meant.

"Not if I can help it."

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"How long can I get away with?"

There was a brief silence while Kankuro considered this.

"I can probably give you two weeks. And even that will be seriously pushing it."

"It's longer than I was expecting. Really, Kankuro, thank you."

"Like I said, I'll get you back later. He seems like a good kid, though. Gutsy too, from what I remember."

"Yeah." Gaara returned his gaze to the road. "I hope he gets here soon."

"So do I," said Kankuro, stamping his feet pointedly.

* * *

**So we await the Inuzuka's return...**

**Thank you for reading =)**


	10. Left Behind

**Whoot – three chapters at once =) you must be thrilled. You probably won't be after you've read the pile of shiz I've managed to produce...my writing really sucks right now, and I don't know why. Maybe I'm out of practice...? .**

**So you can probably guess that I'm not happy with this chapter... XD Everything seems too rushed...but I want stuff to happen! And yet I want to string it out! So I guess I'm at kind of a stalemate with my mind...**

**Disclaimer: The plot is mine, but nothing else.**

**I greatly appreciate feedback =)**

**Oh, and yep, Kiba has moved in with Naruto. Don't ask me why – I just decided that it would be easier (why?) and typed a hasty explanation that probably doesn't even make sense...gomen...**

**I have an increasing fondness for informal Gaara... ^^**

* * *

"OK, seriously Kiba, what the heck is up with you?" Shino scowled, finally losing his temper after the boy in question had once again screwed up on a mission for...oh, only about the hundredth time.

"Nothing," the other growled back, everything about his tone and demeanour stating that it would be better for the subject to be immediately dropped.

"Sure as hell doesn't seem like nothing," Shino muttered, but rather wisely chose not to pursue the matter and stalked off into the forest instead.

"Is it because...because Gaara-san isn't here?" Hinata asked in her quiet little voice, cautiously approaching Kiba who stared at her in shock. He hadn't expected her to hit the nail directly on the head. But regardless of how accurate her guess was, he didn't want to talk about it. Couldn't talk about it.

"It's got nothing to do with that!" he snapped, instantly regretting it as he saw the hurt look on her face. "I'm just...I'm not feeling well, OK?" he added in a softer tone. "Don't worry about it Hina."

"Alright," she nodded, clearly not convinced, but probably anxious to avoid further conflict. "I'll see you later, Kiba. Don't push yourself too hard." Resting a hand on his shoulder for a moment, she left, and Kiba was alone in the clearing.

It had been almost three months since Gaara had left, but it felt more like three years. Kiba hadn't really realised exactly how much their friendship meant to him until the Kazekage wasn't around anymore. Now there was this big Gaara-shaped hole in his life. He couldn't eat or sleep properly and everything just seemed pointless.

To put it bluntly, it was fucking awful.

And the stupid fricking _revelation_ (or whatever the hell it was) that had been trying to beat him over the head for eleven weeks really wasn't helping. Even his own damn thoughts were against him. He hated them. He hated everyone and everything.

The only person whose company he could stand for any substantial length of time was Akamaru, who knew everything about the situation and so understood when Kiba couldn't keep it bottled up, even if he couldn't say anything back. Anyway, he wasn't much fun to be around like this, so it wasn't like people were falling over each other to hang out with him.

He sat there, keeping his mind deliberately blank, until the sun started to set and Akamaru whined, laying his head in his lap. Kiba rubbed his ears absentmindedly before rising to his feet with a sigh. It was time to head back.

_How much longer is he going to be gone?_

That was the question he asked himself every day. And every time he did, Gaara's words came back to him.

"_It might be a long time before I get to return here. Maybe years."_

What was he going to do if it really was years? If it felt this bad after a couple of months, years didn't even bear thinking about.

Kiba glanced up as he passed the huge light-decked tree in the middle of the village. It was the fourteenth of December, nearly Christmas, but he'd never in his life felt less like celebrating. By this point, they were nearly home. The house was in darkness, but that was nothing unusual. Naruto was probably training late tonight. Had he said something along those lines that morning? Kiba couldn't remember. These days, he didn't really pay attention to what was going on around him.

As they approached the door, Akamaru's hackles rose and he began to growl threateningly. Kiba immediately tensed, whipping a kunai from his belt.

"Who's there?"

"You're late," an irritable voice said as a figure stepped out of the shadows. "It's bloody cold out here, you know. I'm beginning to wish I'd stayed in Suna."

The kunai hit the floor at roughly the same time as Kiba's jaw.

"It's you..." he whispered, hardly daring to breathe unless the boy in front of him turned out to be an illusion and disappeared.

"Of course it's me." Gaara was shivering, teeth chattering as he wrapped his coat around him in an effort to get warm. "How many other people from Suna do you know who'd bother to visit you? Especially in this weather. Now will you just open the fricking door already?!"

Something was welling up in Kiba's throat. He wasn't sure what it was, but it couldn't be good. And he probably wouldn't be able to force it back down when it chose to emerge.

"Inuzuka, I swear..." Green eyes narrowed as the other boy took a step towards him. "Open that door or I'll choke you with sand."

The fact that Gaara seemed to be completely unaffected by the fact that they'd been apart for so long made Kiba's temper flare and he growled in irritation as he reached into his pocket for the keys, the strange feeling dissolving as fast as it had appeared.

_I'll let him in, but only because it's too cold to kill him outside._

"You can go now, Kankuro," the Kazekage told the shadows behind him, which replied with a smug "Yes sir" before a cloaked figure came forward, bowed ironically and then disappeared into the darkness.

This exchange went almost completely unnoticed by Kiba, who was standing by the now-open door with an expression that could sour milk. Gaara passed him to enter the house and the chunin barely waited until he was inside before slamming the door behind him.

He was just turning to the Suna nin, either to yell at him or hit him, but he found himself bowled over before he could decided which.

"You're a bastard," Gaara told him as Kiba's face heated up to the point where he was sure it could probably be cooked on. His body's stupid reactions were something he hadn't missed at all. "Do you have any idea how many people I had to ask to find out where you were? Why didn't you tell me you were moving in with Naruto? Thanks to you I had to trawl round half of Konoha with my stupid brother's smirk getting wider by the second. And why the hell did you move in with Naruto anyway?" The sand ninja drew back and glared down at him. "Are you two dating or something?"

It took a few seconds for this last comment to register, but when it did, Kiba threw Gaara off and sprung to his feet, knowing that his face was still scarlet. "Of course we're not, baka! Where the fuck did you get a stupid idea like that?! He just needed help with rent, that's all, and I wanted to move out, so it made sense! There's nothing else going on! Nothing! Now if you're done with asking idiotic questions, then I'm fricking starving so get out of my way while I make dinner, coz Naruto sure as hell isn't going to do it when he gets back."

They glared at each other for a minute or so, before Gaara relaxed, face breaking into a happy grin. "You haven't changed."

"You have," Kiba said, finding it hard to stay angry. "Did you leave your manners in Suna or something?"

"Maybe, but I left my heart here."

Silence fell, a red flush spread across Gaara's face and Kiba's own heart just about stopped.

* * *

**Yep, that's it! XD Apologies for the cliff-hanger ending, but that's where my keyboard wanted me to stop, and I can't argue with such power...**

**By the way, I was thinking about doing a little Christmas-themed special, but I was worried that it might be a bit too twee...? I don't know. Tell me what you think =) I'll probably end up doing one anyway, even if everyone hates the idea... XD But I promise to incorporate it into the rest of the story, so it doesn't seem too out-of-place.**

**(And yes, I am going to completely ignore the fact that no one in Konoha or, indeed, the whole of the Land of Fire has any concept of what the hell Christmas is...I need no excuse to spread festivity...and I will exert plot device if I must...)**

**Thanks very much for reading =D**


	11. Cooking And A Proposition

**Right, so this is the most recent chapter I've written (yeah Ali, that's fairly obvious baka ¬_¬)...**

**Once I've finished the next chapter, I'll be able to post up the two chapters where everything starts to kick off. (Finally! Sorry, guys, I know I've been promising those chapters for a while...but I mean it this time!)**

**There's a little SasuNaru in this one too ;) **

**Disclaimer: These are not my characters. Dammit.**

**Review if you like =D Coz I do. (Lol idiot...)**

* * *

_Oh, great going. Really good. That totally wasn't blindingly obvious AT ALL!_

Gaara's mind was screaming at him, but he was too horror-struck to take any notice. Risking a glance up, he caught sight of Kiba's expression and quickly returned his eyes to the floor.

_Not good. He looks like he's just been shot._

Silence reigned for a full minute before the chunin cleared his throat and began to ask, tentatively, "What do you–?"

And then, thank God – and this interruption was proof that he did apparently exist – the door flew open and a breathless and laughing Naruto ran in, followed by an equally breathless and laughing...

..._Sasuke?!_

_OK, that's weirder than _anything_ going on in here._

Seeing the others, the two arrivals froze, and everyone stared at each other. Naruto was the first to recover, with a happy yelp of "Gaara!" and a crushing hug. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," the Kazekage replied, somehow managing to work his vocal chords. Sasuke, he noticed, didn't give any kind of greeting, choosing instead to stand awkwardly by the door.

"Did you bring back any ramen for me?" Naruto asked, beginning to pat the other's pockets expectantly.

"We don't have ramen in Suna," Gaara told him, trying in vain to free himself. "Besides, I bet this whole house is pretty much full of the stuff."

"No ramen?! How the heck do you live?"

"I'm sure I have no idea."

"Hey teme!" Naruto called, switching his attention and finally releasing Gaara. "Use your flame jutsu to light a fire, will you? It's freezing in here!"

"That's not what it's for, dobe!" Sasuke snapped back, making a sudden and not entirely welcome return to his normal cocky self. "You should get radiators put in or something."

"Can't if I'm broke!" the blond replied cheerfully. "Besides, if you're staying for dinner, you'd better make yourself useful!"

"A little warning would have been nice, Naruto," Kiba grumbled, speaking for the first time since the others had arrived. The sound of his voice made Gaara's pulse race, which was stupid. "I haven't got enough to cook for four people."

The hyperactive genin held up a shopping bag. "I bought stuff at the supermarket. And I'm cooking, so don't complain. Plus I told you Sasuke-teme was coming this morning. Not my fault if you weren't listening. Come on, you can help me. No Gaara, it's fine," he added, as the sand nin opened his mouth to offer assistance. "You're a guest, so just relax, OK? It's a long way from Suna and I bet you're tired. Make yourself at home. And _you_, teme," by this point Naruto was halfway through the kitchen door, pushing a reluctant Kiba in front of him, "don't you dare set foot in here. We don't want everything burnt black."

Sasuke just about had time to say "Bite me, dobe," before the door was slammed with a sense of finality and Gaara was left alone with the Uchiha. Sighing, the other boy made his way over to the fireplace, piling some logs in it before making a few quick hand seals and emitting a burst of fire.

"I'm just doing it this way coz it's quicker," he told Gaara defensively, as the logs crackled merrily and heat began to fill the room.

"Did I say anything?" The Kazekage moved closer, holding up his hands to the flames.

They were quiet for a little while, before Sasuke said "So...are you going to tell me exactly what we interrupted?"

"It's none of your business," Gaara shot back.

"No," the dark-haired boy agreed, "it's not. But I bet I can guess."

"It wouldn't matter to me if you did."

"You know he's been miserable as hell ever since you left?" There was accusation in Sasuke's tone, enough to cause a twinge of annoyance.

"I wasn't under the impression that you cared," the sand shinobi replied, ignoring the sudden rush of guilt.

"I don't. But it was worrying Naruto, so I had to hear about it."

"My heart bleeds."

"I'm guessing you're in love with him?"

"You guessed wrong," Gaara growled. He'd already admitted it once today and that was more than enough.

"Really?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Judging by your expression, I'd say I guessed right."

~*~

"Kiba..."

The chunin paused in his chopping of onions – something about the other's tone unnerved him. "What is it?"

Naruto was quiet for a while, before he suddenly spoke up again. "Is it OK if Sasuke moves in?"

Of all the things Kiba had been expecting, this was not one of them. He looked at the blond in surprise, but Naruto seemed to be avoiding his gaze.

"Um...sure, I guess. Does that mean that you want me to move out?"

"No, you're fine. He'll stay in my room."

"We're going to have to buy a camp bed then. Luckily I got paid for the mission today, so–"

"Kiba." Naruto cut across him, voice uncharacteristically low. "We won't need a camp bed."

"You're going to make him sleep on the floor? Seems a bit harsh, but as it's Sasuke I guess it doesn't really matter."

"We're dating."

The words hung in the air, as thick as a fog. Kiba struggled in vain to think of something to say. In the end, the best he could come up with was "Oh."

"Does that bother you?" Naruto asked quietly, still not looking at him.

"Um...not really," Kiba shrugged, mind still reeling a little, purely because the news was so unexpected. "It's none of my business who you date."

"He's a guy."

"Yes, Naruto, I realise that." The brunette was starting to get annoyed. "If he wasn't then our whole village would be crammed full of rampaging lesbians."

The genin smiled, shoulders relaxing. "Guess so. So you really don't mind?"

"No, baka, I don't mind. Just don't flaunt it too much, OK?"

"Can't make any promises," Naruto teased, and Kiba laughed.

"So, how long have you guys been together?" the chunin asked, finishing the onions and starting on the carrots. "Must have been a pretty long time if you're moving in together."

"About six months."

"Six months?! Seriously? Man, I can't believe I didn't notice anything."

"We didn't want anyone to know." Naruto swept the vegetables into a large pot and started crumbling stock cubes. "I thought it might make things weird. But...in the end I guess we couldn't help it. We liked each other too much. Kind of like you and Gaara, really."

Kiba froze.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Kiba. I'm not stupid. I know that something's going on with you two."

"It's not like that, Naruto," Kiba said calmly, even though his heart was racing. "We're just friends."

"Yeah?" Naruto put the jug of stock down and stared Kiba out. "Then what was up when me and the teme came in today?"

"Nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing."

"Naruto." Kiba's voice was firm. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Kiba." Naruto's voice held just as much determination. "At some point you're going to have to."

The chunin opened his mouth to argue, then shut it again and sighed. "I know," he said quietly. "But...not tonight, OK? It's late. He's just got here and...I can't. Not now."

"OK." Naruto picked up the jug again and stirred it. "Is Gaara staying here? Coz we can set up a bed on the sofa."

"Um...I guess...I hadn't really thought about it."

"You're completely hopeless," the blond snorted, pouring the stock into the pot.

"This coming from _you_," Kiba retorted.

"Shut up. I was thinking...we should have everyone round in a couple of days. Have drinks and stuff. We could make an evening of it. I'm sure people would like to see Gaara again. And I could tell them about me and Sasuke-teme."

"Yeah?" Kiba shot him a sceptical look. "You sure about that?"

"Well, I'll have to some time, won't I?" Naruto grinned, and the other boy couldn't argue with that.

"I'll tell you something though," Kiba said after a moment's contemplation, keeping his expression deliberately serious.

"What?" The genin looked worried, and Kiba's face split into a wide grin.

"Sakura and Ino are going to kill you."

* * *

**And a stupid ending line XD Sorry, it really made me laugh.**

**Thank you! ^^**


	12. Paving The Road To Hell

**Lol, hi XD (wtf...)**

**So this is the linking chapter! Finally! So you get those other actual-plot-development chapters too. Lucky you... XD Oh, and I know I said there were two, but it turns out I can't count and there are actually three...I'd just see that as an added bonus (please), rather than shaking your heads in disapproval at my general failings...**

**There's some more SasuNaru, but only a very, very little. Seriously, not even a kiss or anything. Not actually worth mentioning. (So why bother?!)**

**I appreciate any comments you have ^^ OK, yeah, I'm hinting again but I would like some reviews if you have time ;)**

**Disclaimer: They're still not mine.**

* * *

"Cheers!"

This shout had come from Naruto who – contrary to what his flushed face and huge grin would suggest – was the only person drinking something non-alcoholic (lemonade) in the group. The shinobi were currently spread out on the carpet in some sort of weird circle, with the exception of Shikamaru and Hinata, as they had rather wisely commandeered the sofa. Everyone had decided to accept the invitation to get thoroughly smashed and so had emerged from their various lairs to join in the drinking session in Kiba and Naruto's (now rather cramped) living room. There had been about five minutes of greeting Gaara and news-sharing before the bottles had been broken out. That had been roughly an hour and a half ago, and now they were all lounging around in assorted stages of inebriation.

Even the kunoichi were apparently getting in on the drunken fun, as Sakura and Ino had been giggling inanely and shooting conspirational/predatory looks at Sasuke for the past fifteen minutes or so. Luckily Naruto hadn't yet noticed – probably due to the fact that he was as dense as lead – and the raven-haired boy being preyed upon was choosing to ignore the threatening pair, sipping from his bottle of suspiciously green liquid with a bored expression.

This 'oh-so-up-myself' stance (what? Yeah, so he was now living with the guy, but that didn't mean that Kiba's previous opinion of him was any different) hadn't changed in a while, so the surveying brunette decided to switch his attention, his eyes instead falling on the green-clad shinobi a metre or so to his left.

Due to his tendency to resort to the 'drunken fist' technique, Lee had been restricted to one alcopop before he, like Naruto (although the blond's abstinence seemed to be voluntary), had to hit the soft drinks. He was currently halfway through the cherry-flavoured sugary concoction, and as a result his lips were stained bright red. Kiba noticed with vague amusement that he also seemed to be swaying slightly.

Although he wasn't really holding up so well himself, he mused rather blurrily, taking a shot of sake (hell, if he was going to drink, it wasn't going to be that brightly coloured sugary crap that probably contained enough additives to down an ANBU member). He and Gaara had so far made their happy way through almost an entire bottle, and he glanced over at the scarlet-haired ninja to see how he was doing.

~*~

Meeting Kiba's gaze for roughly the fifth time in as many minutes, Gaara shot him a smile that was far more blasé than it should be, considering the fact that a) there was serious eye contact going on and b) as a result, his heart was racing fit to burst. But he felt strangely calm regardless. Shrugging, he put it down to the alcohol and drank from his cup again, resuming his observations of the others.

As Neji was right opposite him, he was the first to grasp Gaara's attention. The clan genius was laughing at something Lee had said (which was unusual), his usually immaculate hair sticking up in various places (which was even more unusual) as he lifted a bright blue bottle and downed it in record time. That made it his (the tipsy Kazekage did a hasty and slightly hazy calculation) sixth of the evening. Or maybe seventh. Either way, his mouth was a rather magnificent mix of colours.

Of course, what with the aid of sake, it was fairly pointless to try and avoid looking at the brown-haired chunin for too long, and so Gaara let his eyes drift back to their desired target without much protest.

His casual (and not at all obsessive) staring was interrupted as Naruto got to his feet.

"I have an announcement to make!" he told the roomful of bemused and amused faces. "It's important," the genin added, sharing a significant look with Kiba, who gave a barely perceptible nod of encouragement.

This nod piqued Gaara's interest, and he sat up straighter, setting his glass down as everyone except Kiba and Sasuke reacted in similar ways around him.

Naruto waited until the shuffling and whispering had died down before taking a deep breath and saying, with the tone of someone delivering a holy message, "I'm dating the bastard."

Silence as the room processed this information.

"Which bastard?" Shikamaru's lazy drawl came from the sofa, where he was lounging underneath a pink-cheeked Hinata. There was a rather impressive collection of bottles surrounding them.

"That one." The blond pointed at Sasuke, who immediately coloured an extraordinary shade of red and turned away, pointedly taking another swig out of the bottle he was holding.

Another silence following this as more processing went on, during which Sakura and Ino's faces went from shock to grief-stricken to furious and then back to shock again in a notable display of emotion. Gaara contented himself by looking from Naruto to Sasuke and back again, sticking his tongue out when both caught his eye. Naruto returned the gesture with a slightly self-conscious grin, and Sasuke merely glanced away, body tense. Lee looked confused for a moment, before understanding dawned and he struck his characteristic thumbs-up pose with a grin and a loud declaration concerning the wonder of the 'romance of youth'. Hinata smiled encouragingly, taking hold of Shikamaru's hand. Apart from these reactions, nobody particularly seemed to care.

"Fine." The lazy chunin yawned widely. "Anyone else have any relationship announcements, while we're on the subject?"

"I have a girlfriend," said Lee, startling everyone. He bowed his head, face flushing scarlet. "She is very nice." And that was all he could be persuaded to say on the matter.

~*~

Weirdly enough, everyone seemed to find Lee's sudden acquisition of a girlfriend more interesting than the fact that Naruto had, in a sense, led Sasuke astray and that therefore one of Konoha's most eligible bachelors was now off the market. Kiba had to laugh at the blond's slightly affronted expression as everyone crowded around Lee, shooting questions at top speed. Aware of eyes on him, he turned to see that Gaara was also struck by mirth, and the sound of his laugh made the chunin's stomach clench like it had the first time he'd heard it.

"Poor Naruto." The Kazekage was actually giggling – a sure sign that he was at least on the way to being spectacularly pissed. "I doubt that was the reaction he was expecting."

"Well, _you _certainly don't seem all that bothered about it," Kiba told him, reached out to ruffle the other's hair on a random impulse that he'd never have followed had he been sober.

Gaara shrugged. "To be honest, I already knew. I mean, they were careful, sure, but this _is _Naruto we're talking about, so by normal standards it was still pretty damn obvious. I guess everyone else noticed too."

"_I _didn't," Kiba protested, feeling stupid. "I had no idea until he told me the other day."

"Don't worry about it." The hand that patted him on the shoulder was warm, and he had to fight hard not to lean into the contact. "From the looks of it, Lee, Sakura and Ino had no idea either."

"Gee, thanks. Do you have any idea how great that comparison makes me feel?"

Gaara laughed again and they watched Naruto being presented with a blue alcopop by a still-pink-faced Sasuke. The blond accepted the drink gratefully, pausing momentarily before leaning his head on the Uchiha's shoulder. Sasuke stiffened, but after a minute relaxed slightly, slowly putting his arm around the other. The (relatively) easy display of affection only made Kiba a little bit jealous.

"Don't be voyeuristic," Gaara told him with a smirk. "Come on, I think Lee might actually be about to cave. Drink your sake and enjoy the show."

Kiba did as he was told, watching as Gaara did the same.

"This is really weird." The Kazekage smiled winsomely. "I've never got drunk before. You'd better look after me, Inuzuka…"

"Will do," Kiba grinned casually, trying – and failing – to halt the perilous train of thought this innocent request brought about.

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**I feel a bit mean about picking on Lee...but he's just too cute not to... ///~3**

**Lee's girlfriend...yeah, I doubt she'll show up... XD I wouldn't worry about her too much. I've already turned up in a previous FMA fic so I think I'll keep myself out of this one...well, except for the odd 'Lee's girlfriend' comment of course... (lol sorry...)**

**Oh, and I know that Lee usually goes crazy even with just a little bit of alcohol, but a) there's a higher concentration of alcohol in sake than in alcopops and b) after four years or so, you'd hope he would learn to hold his drink at least a little bit...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! =)**


	13. Inebriation

**Here we have the first of the chapters where stuff actually happens...hope you can handle it... XD**

**It's pretty short, and for that I apologise...and also for any mistakes in consistency, because this chapter was written quite a while ago, before I worked out the rest of the plot... (not that there is much plot, not really, but you get mah drift.)**

**Reviews are good =)**

**Disclaimer: Neither Naruto nor Jurassic Park is of my creation...I wish they were though... (*imagination runs wild* lol...)**

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Kiba was…drunk.

Yep, that was it. He was drunk. And this intoxicated perspective made things very interesting. Mostly complicated, with a certain amount of enjoyment, but altogether interesting nonetheless.

Because Gaara had drunk at least twice as much as he had, which meant that _his _perception must be even hazier. This was the reason that they found themselves in their current situation, curled up on the sofa long after the others had either left or – in the case of Sasuke and Naruto – given up and gone to bed.

Dinosaurs fought on the screen in front of them (Jurassic Park – an absolute legend of a film) and, while the sand shinobi seemed riveted by the screeches and impending death, Kiba found himself perpetually distracted. Mainly because Gaara was currently lying on top of him, maroon hair tickling the skin visible due to the sizable gap in his shirt. He couldn't remember exactly _how _he'd ended up underneath the Kazekage, but that wasn't really important. What _was_ important was the fact that the desert nin had recently taken his hand and was gently tracing invisible circles on his palm with his thumb, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Although he was in a less-than-intelligent state, Kiba was still aware (albeit distantly) that they shouldn't really be doing this. Trouble was, with warm fingers encircling his own, he was finding it increasingly difficult to think up credible reason for this being the case.

This casual, easy contact. It felt…well, it felt good. Really good. And that was part of the problem. Because…they were friends…right? Friends didn't do this sort of thing, did they? Well, he certainly couldn't imagine being like this with any of the others. Which meant…

What did it mean? He couldn't remember. But it meant something.

A T-Rex snapped at a velociraptor, casting flickering shadows across Gaara's face as he shifted, hot breath suddenly expelled against Kiba's chest. God that was…

"Hey…this is a good film…" The words were slurred as the sand ninja smiled at him, eyes slightly out of focus. Kiba propped himself up on his elbows, observing the boy before him. Gaara's hair was mussed, his clothes crumpled and his cheeks flushed with the effects of the alcohol. Dammit, he was beautiful.

"It is, right?" Kiba replied once he'd remembered how to speak. "But I think, I _think_ that you might be a little drunk."

"_I'm_ not drunk, don't be silly. _You're _the one who's drunk."

"Then how come _you _can't stand up?"

"I _can_ stand up. I just don't feel like it."

"Right, prove it then. The DVD's finished so go and take it out."

"I will! And I'll do it just as well as I would sober, because I _am_ sober." Gaara rose slowly, setting his feet on the floor and standing there for a moment, swaying gently, before his knees gave way and he fell to the carpet. This amazing spectacle caused Kiba to dissolve into hysterics, to the extent that he actually toppled off the sofa, landing in a heap on top of Gaara.

"Stop laughing!" the desert shinobi said, scowling darkly. "That doesn't prove a thing!"

The brown-haired boy merely laughed harder, getting to his hands and knees with difficulty. The mirth came to an abrupt halt, however, as he looked down, brown eyes locking onto widening green as everything stood still. Gaara gazed up at him, face slowly turning a colour similar to that of his hair. His mouth was slightly open, although whether it was in surprise or anticipation, Kiba couldn't say. He stared at those lips, enticing beyond belief…

_Crap_, said the more sober half of his brain, _don't do that. It's a stupid idea, you'll regret it later and…_

But the sensible voice was becoming less and less audible, the shinobi's mind filled instead with jade-coloured eyes and tousled hair.

Shit. He was going to kiss him.

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**At least one person is gonna kill me for where I'm leaving this... XD But at least you get the next instalment straight away, ne?**

**Thanks for taking the time! =D**


	14. Refutation

**OK, so this chapter's pretty short too...it's even shorter than the last one in fact...but that's just what I'm like... (meaning, I'm too lazy to write more than a couple of pages at a time... ¬¬) Again, with consistency issues compared to the rest of the chapters, I apologise. Maybe I should proof-read these...**

***hints about reviews again* *gets hit* stfu Ali. They do motivate me though... ^^**

**Disclaimer: Still not my characters. I'm coping. Just about.**

* * *

Gaara watched, brain slowly coming round from its bleary state, as a multitude of expressions flitted across Kiba's features, illuminated with the yellow glow of the nearby lamp. This light, this position, this whole situation…it didn't add up.

His eyes tore themselves away from the face above him to general after-party-disarray, finally coming to rest on the three bottles of saké, two empty and one half-full, sitting innocuously by the hearth. They were to blame for the circumstances he found himself in – more than a little tipsy and currently straddled by the very shinobi he should have been trying to avoid, given his present state. He should have gone to bed when the others had, instead of staying here in this room with this–

His train of thought was abruptly cut off as warm thighs pressed gently into his hips and he closed his eyes, letting out an involuntary gasp. This was ridiculous – worse than ridiculous, it was downright idiotic. Why didn't Kiba just hurry up and get off him so that he didn't have to pretend that he wasn't dying for a kiss, just one kiss…

His – no, not his, never his – _the _Konoha nin looked uncertain, he could feel uneven breaths escaping his lips (for God's sake, don't think about _those_) and either side of his face tanned fists were clenched in what seemed like indecision. But it couldn't be, no. This was just because he was drunk, that was all it was. Just saké-goggles putting a weird spin on a compromising position. That was the only reason for this heartrending proximity and this stupid breathless expectancy that was making his heartbeat thud in his ears.

But now…now Kiba's face seemed to be getting closer, eyes already half-lidded and closing further with every treacherous second. Their mouths were inches apart – he could actually feel the other's breath on his lips. His eyes drifted shut again, this time in resignation, and he craned his face up expectantly. This was it…

Suddenly, the warmth was gone. There was the sound of a door clicking shut. Gaara's eyes snapped open to find himself alone, still lying flat on the carpet.

Which meant that Kiba was…

_Fuck._

Bile rose in his throat as he clamped a hand over his mouth, running for the nearest bathroom. He made it as far as the sink before vomiting up a bottle and a half of saké that had tasted a hell of a lot better on the way down. Rinsing the sour taste away with water, Gaara wiped his mouth with his hand and sank down on the tiled floor, leaning back against the unit behind him.

His head was pounding, his throat was burning, he felt sicker than he'd ever done in his life and the one person he'd ever really liked had got freaked out and run off, leaving him alone. Why the hell would people actually _choose _to feel like this? Alcohol was a curse that he _never _wanted to experience again.

Dammit.

God_dammit._

A few hours of confident numbness weren't worth this. Nothing was worth this.

_Kiba…_

When the first tear fell, he reached up a hand to furiously brush it away. The second received the same treatment. But the third, fourth and all the rest that followed were left to run down his face unchecked. Wrapping his arms around his legs, Gaara buried his face in his knees and sobbed.

* * *

**Yep, this innocent little collection of fics is getting more and more emo by the chapter...but it gets worse before it gets better, right?**

**(Much like my writing, actually... XD)**

**Thank you!**


	15. The Morning After

**A short chapter again! I'm so sorry!**

**And it ends on a cliffhanger! ARGH! *dies* I did try to write more, honestly, but then my brain said "RIGHT!!! ENOUGH!!!"**

**I'll work overtime to get decent stuff. I'm sorry. (My constant apologising is probably more annoying actually... ^^;)**

**Fifteen chapters...whoa...I can't...BELIEVE IT... (XD)**

**Disclaimer: These fine boys are not mine. They belong to Kishimoto-sama.**

**Your reviews make me smile =)**

* * *

Gaara awoke to a pounding in his head, light streaming onto his face from the curtain-less windows and the sound of muffled speech. Sitting up – and then wishing with all his soul that he hadn't – it slowly began to register; snippets of the night before flitting across his memory. There had been...sake...yes, lots of sake...and Kiba...probably a decent amount of Kiba too...so now he was...where was he...? Ah yes...in the spare room...that would explain the lack of curtains...but how the hell had be gotten here...?

"Jeez...look at this place...guess it's too much to expect them to clear up a little before going to bed..."

His fuzzy brain put in a supreme effort and eventually recognised the voice as belonging to Naruto.

"Ah well...I guess they were pretty drunk..."

Gaara took a moment to wonder whether the blond was talking to himself and, if this was the case, whether it was a habit that came from living alone. His pointless contemplating ceased when a new voice drifted in through the open door.

"That's no excuse. I'm going to go and wake them up and–"

"No, teme!" Naruto hissed, sounding appalled by the very idea. "They might be...you know...together! We can't go bursting in on something like that!"

"I don't care if they're doing it as we speak!" Sasuke snapped back, and Gaara slumped back down, thinking _I wish_. "It wasn't nearly this bad when we went up last night!"

"Even if it was, you probably wouldn't remember." The genin's smirk was actually audible. "I seem to recall you being pretty smashed yourself."

"I wasn't _that _drunk."

"You called me Naru-chan."

"D-did not!"

"You totally did!" Naruto laughed triumphantly. "Not that I really minded though..."

Gaara groaned, rolled over and clamped the pillow over his face, hoping the lack of oxygen would make him pass out again. The last thing he needed on top of a hangover was a couple of idiots flaunting their relationship everywhere.

Just as he'd begun to feel light-headed, there came the sound of slightly unsteady footsteps and quiet cussing from along the hall.

_Kiba._

His heart leapt. Ignoring his body's protests, he threw back the sheets and sprung towards the door, almost colliding with the chunin as he did so.

"M-morning," the Kazekage stuttered, feeling his face turn red. Brown eyes rested on him for a moment, before the other hastily averted his gaze and continued towards the stairs.

"Hey." No reaction. "Kiba!" Nothing. By this point Gaara's heart had sunk from his throat to somewhere around his stomach, where it settled and felt like lead. "Kiba?" There was an element of desperation in the sand nin's voice as he realised with a shock that he was being ignored, but still the brunette didn't turn around. Akamaru growled fiercely as he trailed after his master, but Gaara barely noticed.

Retreated back into the sanctuary of his room and closing the door, he sank back onto the bed and tried desperately to piece together the events of the night before. They'd started watching Jurassic Park, he remembered that...and then...and then he'd taken Kiba's hand...

_What?! _Why the hell had he done that?! What kind of stupid–! That was probably the reason the leaf shinobi was freaking out now!

No...wait...that wasn't it. Kiba hadn't minded that, had he? Maybe he should have done, but Gaara couldn't remember him putting up any kind of resistance. Couldn't remember any reluctance at all. So then what–?

The answer suddenly flooded his brain. Strong hands gripping his wrists. Knees pressing into his hips. Lips that came nearer and nearer until it seemed inevitable that it would meet his...and then...and then...

A door slamming. A feeling of loneliness. Of total rejection.

_Of course._

Even the memory made him gag and, pressing a hand to his mouth, he sprinted into the bathroom, barely making it before kneeling and vomiting. The taste of bile brought back another memory of sitting alone in the darkness, unable to stand, hoping that Kiba would come back for him, crying when he didn't...

_Or did he...?_

Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, Gaara pulled the chain and moved towards the sink, splashing his sweaty face with cold water.

He didn't remember getting upstairs. There was a vague image in his memory of someone carrying him, but that alone wasn't any proof. It didn't really matter anyway. Whether Kiba had gotten him to bed or not, they obviously weren't speaking this morning. And now he'd remembered why.

Laughing softly as he caught sight of himself in the mirror, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the glass. Kankuro – not to mention his protectors and advisors – would have a thing or two to say if he could see him now.

_Pathetic. Some Kazekage you are._

A tear escaped from his left eye and he watched it trickle down his cheek, feeling lower than he had in years.

He could apologise, but he doubted that it would make much difference.

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**Lol Naru-chan XD but poor Gaara...I am a very cruel slash-alchemist (lol).**

**Thanks very much for reading! ^^**


	16. Repenting

**Finally, a chapter of a fairly decent length...don't faint with shock now...**

**Man, these two are such idiots...I'm writing them like this though, so I guess it's my own damn fault...**

**Expect epically substantial stuff in the next chapter ^^ Of course, that means that I've actually got to get off my lazy arse and write it ¬_¬**

**Actually, as far as the next chapter goes, it might take a little while. I did finish it, but then decided that I hated it and I plan to start again. It's from Gaara's perspective so it's harder (excuses, excuses) and I ended up writing him saying a lot of totally OOC stuff that he'd probably sand-coffin me for...**

**I apologise for the impending delay – it's only coz I love these characters and so I want to do a good job...**

**Reviews = motivation. It's sad but true =)**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not my characters. Plot's mine though.**

**For anyone who wants to know, the song Kiba is practising is _Losing It _by NeverShoutNever, and I like it muchly ^^**

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"_I know I was only sixteen, but I thought I loved hi– _her– him– oh _fuck it_!" Kiba growled, throwing the guitar down in disgust and curling into a ball. Akamaru woke up, growling at the sudden noise, before realising that there was no danger and dropping his head back onto his paws. The chunin watched the dog without really looking at him, dwelling instead on the frustrated racing of his pulse.

It had been almost a week since he'd last spoken to Gaara.

This thing...whatever was going on between them...it was actually messing with his music now. And that had never happened before. Even when Gaara had left, when he'd believed that it might be years before they saw each other again, he'd still been able to lose himself in his guitar playing.

Maybe it was because he knew how cruel he was being that his mind was denying him the luxury of distraction.

He knew. He knew how much his continued silence was hurting Gaara. Every time he ignored him or immediately left a room when the sand nin arrived in it, he could see the hurt in the other's eyes, almost feel the pain he was causing.

And yet, somehow, he couldn't seem to stop.

His mind was rejecting against his feelings for the Kazekage with all its strength. Drunk or not, the near-kiss should _not _have happened. He couldn't do this, couldn't allow himself to fall for someone who was not only miles above his rank, but also another guy. It wasn't who he was, or who he was supposed to be.

Even as he thought this, he knew in his heart that it was too late, much too late. He'd been a goner ever since he'd first heard that laugh.

Gaara loved him. He knew that. Heck, the red-haired boy had as good as told him.

And Kiba loved Gaara. Deep down – or maybe not so deep down really – he knew that too.

But he just couldn't. He couldn't. His brain didn't want to process this information. It went against every romantic feeling he'd had in all of his seventeen years. And because his mind couldn't deal with the change, it had shut down and he had chosen to ignore the Suna nin because it had been the easiest option. Much easier than considering the truth.

Or at least, he'd thought it would be. But blanking Gaara hadn't been as simple as he'd hoped. His eyes were constantly drawn to him, all the time, whenever he was anywhere nearby. And every time he failed to fight the urge to look, he'd find that the Kazekage's gaze was on him, always looking hurt, but still hopeful. Kiba knew he wanted him to break his silence, go back to how they were. And, since that was impossible, he usually chose to leave rather than fall victim to more of those pained glances.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. It wasn't supposed to be this hard. Particularly not when he knew how Gaara felt.

But he wasn't even sure of that anymore. Because lately there had been no more glances, and instead of the leaf nin leaving a room they were both in, the Kazekage had been the once to leave. Considering the way he'd been acting, Kiba could fully understand this change of attitude. Hell, he'd understand if Gaara decided to call it quits and leave for Suna tomorrow.

However, it appeared that for whatever reason, Gaara was staying. There'd been no talk of leaving, anyway, and he'd at least tell Naruto if he was planning to return to his village.

Naruto...

Ignorant as he sometimes was, the blonde wasn't stupid. He'd picked up on the strain between the two shinobi and it hadn't taken him long to work out exactly what was going on. This had resulted in Kiba finding himself slammed against the wall as soon as Gaara was out of earshot, with a furious genin inches from his face.

"_I don't know what the hell happened with you two, Inuzuka, but whatever it was, you've got no right to treat Gaara like that. Especially not when you know how he feels about you."_

"_I don't fricking __**care**_ _how he feels about me," _Kiba had snarled angrily, struggling in vain against the hands pinning him in place. _"I don't give a damn about him at all. He can drop dead."_

These words had caused the blonde to narrow his eyes and tighten his grip. _"You're not normally like this, Kiba. What the hell's got into you?"_

Kiba had opened his mouth to defend himself, but Naruto had cut him off before he'd had a chance to utter even one syllable. _"You know what? Forget it. Whatever excuse you're about to give, I don't want to hear it. Sort it out, or I swear I will shove my rasengan down your throat."_

Yeah...it hadn't exactly been what could be described as a friendly chat. And because he hadn't sorted it out, he was now fighting with Naruto, too.

That was why he was out today – cold as it was, sitting outside was way better than the guilt-inducing silences and death glares that waited for him at home. No one would find him here, because everyone sane was indoors. And those who weren't or had no choice were out on missions.

Kiba closed his eyes, leaning back against the tree. Honestly, everything always had to be so fricking complicated...couldn't things be simple, just for once?

Apparently not.

Kiba opened his eyes as a familiar smell hit him and a black-haired shinobi landed at his feet. He glared up at Sasuke, annoyed at being disturbed and also because the Uchiha was just about the last person he wanted to see right now. Akamaru, on the other hand, barked a greeting, stood up and moved over to get his head stroked. Dogs seemed to like Sasuke – Kiba had noticed that before. He guessed the boy had a gift or something. For some reason, that made the chunin like him even less.

The other shinobi sat down, keeping his eyes on Akamaru, ignoring Kiba's angry stare. It was a minute before he spoke and when he did, his words did nothing to improve the chunin's temper.

"You're being a prick, you know that?"

"It's none of your damn business!" Kiba snapped instantly, knowing that Sasuke was right, but not willing to admit it.

"You upset Naruto." The Uchiha's voice could have frozen a black ops specialist. "That makes it my business."

"How so?"

The dark-haired boy sighed, sounding irritated. "You don't really need me to say it, do you Inuzuka? If I'd upset _Lord Kazekage_, you'd be reacting exactly the same way. Actually," he added, on afterthought, "you probably would have punched me by now."

Kiba bristled at the mocking use of Gaara's title, but otherwise didn't react.

"Doesn't it bother you that you're making him miserable?"

"Of course it does!" Kiba snarled, leaping to his feet. "I hate hurting him, but I don't know what else to do! You don't know how fricking hard it is!"

Sasuke calmly raised an eyebrow, which made the chunin even more annoyed. "Don't I?"

"No. You don't."

"So you think things with Naruto were easy?"

Kiba wasn't expecting that. Caught off guard by the question, he found himself without an answer or even a blunt retort.

"Weren't they?" he shot back after a couple of seconds, knowing as he did so that it was hardly the comeback of the century and that Sasuke would probably make some sort of smart comment about his lack of finesse.

"Of course they weren't." The Uchiha sounded exasperated, but not sarcastic or patronising, so Kiba slid to the ground again, feeling stupid. "They're still not easy. But I love him and he loves me, so that's enough."

"I can't believe you actually just admitted it," Kiba snorted, grinning for the first time in days.

"And I can't believe you won't when it's so blindingly obvious." These words quickly wiped the grin away. "Look, I'll be honest, I don't really care what happens between you and Gaara. It's not my problem. But having you both moping about the house is irritating. From what I can see, you being in denial isn't doing either of you any good."

"I know." The chunin covered his face with his hands. "I know I'm being an idiot and ruining everything. I just don't know what else to do."

"Don't bullshit, Kiba," Sasuke said bluntly. "You know exactly what to do. And the sooner you stop being a bloody coward and tell him, the better." The Uchiha got up, stretching casually. "And you'd better make it soon, because I won't have you messing with the dobe anymore. He does nothing but complain to me and, quite frankly, I'm sick of hearing about it."

With that Sasuke walked off, leaving Kiba in equal parts grateful and aggravated. It was sound advice, he knew, but did Sasuke really have to be such a bastard about it?

Bastard or not, he had a point, though. Ignoring Gaara might have seemed like a good idea for whatever fucked-up reason his stupid mind chose to concoct, but they were both unhappy. More than that, they were downright miserable. And it wasn't fair.

"I love him," Kiba said aloud, and the words didn't sound as bad as he feared they would. "I love Gaara. I'm in love with him."

_Good for you_, a voice somewhere in his consciousness said. _Now why don't you go and tell him that?_

Kiba had never run so fast in his life. Minutes after the decision had been made, he burst in through the front door with Akamaru at his heels, startling Naruto, who immediately scowled at him.

"Gaara?" the chunin managed to pant, aware it wasn't a complete sentence, but confident that the blonde would understand what he meant.

Sure enough, Naruto's expression cleared. "Upstairs. Good luck," he added, but Kiba barely heard him, taking the stairs two at a time, ignoring his nerves as he knocked on the Kazekage's door.

"Gaara?"

No reply. He tried the handle. It was locked. Maybe the sand nin had headphones in or something. He knocked again, more forcefully this time.

"Hey, you in there?"

"What do you want?"

The voice made him freeze. It was quiet, desolate, yet laced with menace. Gaara hadn't sounded like that since Kiba had first seen him in the forest, during the chunin exams.

"I...um...I wanted to talk to you," the leaf nin stuttered, suddenly feeling scared.

"Really? I was under the impression that you wanted me to drop dead."

Oh _fuck_.

"Gaara, listen, I didn't...that wasn't..."

"Kiba." The voice chilled his blood, left no room for excuses. "Get away from that door right now. If you ever come near me again, I'll kill you."

"But I–"

"I won't tell you again."

Shaking, Kiba backed away from the door. He didn't doubt Gaara's words for one minute. If he stayed there any longer, he would die.

As he descended the stairs, Naruto looked up expectantly. When he saw the expression on the chunin's face, his face immediately dropped.

"He hates me," Kiba said blankly, slumping onto the sofa. "He heard me talking to you, what I said about him. He said he'd kill me if I went near him again."

"Shit."

"That pretty much sums it up, yeah."

"I could talk to him, try to–"

"Naruto, you know that won't make any difference."

"Yeah," the blonde said after a short pause, "I know. But don't give up hope yet. He might come round later."

"I wouldn't count on it," Kiba laughed harshly, the laughs quickly turning to sobs as the reality of the situation hit him. He'd lost Gaara. And that meant that everything was over.

~***~

"So Shikamaru, how did the mission go?"

"Urgh, don't even ask. It was _such_ a drag."

"It wasn't that bad," Ino scolded, digging him in the ribs. "We got decent pay, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Choji chipped in through a mouthful of crisps. "And Asuma took us out to a steak house, so I wasn't complaining."

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather hear about Lee's _girlfriend_," Tenten smirked, shooting a suggestive look at the green-clad chunin, who flushed an impressive shade of scarlet as all eyes turned to him.

"Well...um...that is..."

Kiba watched the group with limited interest. He'd forgotten that Shikamaru and the others had been invited over that night. Naruto had said that they could always cancel, do it another time, but the chunin had said no, it was fine, no point in wrecking a good night just because he was feeling miserable.

So he was sitting, clutching a forgotten bottle of beer in his hand (no sake, that just stirred up bad memories) and vaguely observing the goings on. At first, the others had made an effort to involve him in the conversation, they'd had soon realised that his heart wasn't in it and given up. He shouldn't have agreed to this, should have known better – it reminded him too much of the last party they'd had; but Naruto had been looking forward to it and, to be honest, he was afraid that Sasuke might actually kill him if he upset the blonde again.

Kill him...

"_If you ever come near me again, I'll kill you..."_

Kiba startled everyone by suddenly rising to his feet and making for the stairs. As he did so, he shot a desperate glance at Naruto, who quickly recaptured everybody's attention with a story Jiraiya had told him about he and Tsunade in their younger days. Eager to listen to a possible scandal about the fifth Hokage, everyone crowded in closer and Kiba was able to slip up the stairs unnoticed.

Gaara hated him, sure. But he'd loved him once.

And that meant that Kiba at least had to try.

* * *

**Yeah, still very emo, I'm afraid. It's only going to get more angsty...but angst means that stuff's going on...so every cloud has a silver lining...**

**(I, personally, rather enjoy angst =D)**

**Thank you very much for reading ^^**


	17. Risking It All

**Oh my GOD, I finally got this done... *dies***

**I'm SO sorry it took so long...the first draft was actually finished ages ago, but I hated it so much that I couldn't possibly put it up without a piece of my soul dying (as, in fact, I explained in the previous chapter, but it's been a while since then so I thought I'd remind you). I'm still not completely happy with it, but...**

**Anyway! Here it is! The chapter where everything comes together! (Unfortunately not like that, though...XD)**

**So, without further stupid ado...**

**Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. Otherwise Naruto and Sasuke would be screwing in every other chapter, and these two would take over for the rest...**

**Reviews will bring the next instalment along much quicker, promise. It's in production as we speak. Well, as I type.**

* * *

He was leaving. First thing tomorrow. Kankuro would probably be overjoyed to see him, so that he could go back to loafing about with no responsibility, and now that Kiba...

Well. There was no further reason for him to stay. He'd only remained here this long to keep Naruto happy. But enough was enough. After what he'd said, the chunin would never come near him again, anyway. But then, that was what he wanted, wasn't it? Right.

"_When I see you the world can't stop making sense..._"

Dammit.

Wrong. It was wrong. Everything was wrong. This wasn't the way things were supposed to turn out, but then he'd signed his own death warrant by daring to hope that Kiba was different. In the end, everyone he trusted turned out to be the same.

It didn't matter, anyway. By the morning he'd be gone and they wouldn't have to see each other anymore. No more awkwardness, no more regret. He could immerse himself in duties to his village, like he should have been doing all along.

He'd miss him, sure. More than he'd ever admit, even to himself. But what else could he do? If Kiba didn't want him then how could he stay?

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. It was most likely Naruto, leaving the sounds of shouting and laughter below to come and check up on him. He should probably join them, show willing at least, but that would mean seeing...

_No. Don't even think about him. You'll have to forget and you might as well start now._

"What is it?" he asked, doing his best to hide the despondent misery coursing through his entire body. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Naruto.

"Gaara?"

...But that wasn't Naruto. It was...

No, it couldn't be....

"It's me. Please let me in. I need to talk to you."

Oh God... "I told you to leave me alone," Gaara said, anger rising to the surface again, directed at both the chunin for hurting him and himself for wanting Kiba anyway.

"I know." The voice sounded shaky, nervous, but there was an underlying determination. "You can kill me if you want. I probably deserve it. But could you just listen to me first?"

_Why should I? _he wanted to say, to yell, to scream, but instead he found himself rising, turning off the song he'd had on repeat for the past couple of hours and opening the door. The sight of hazelnut-brown eyes made his chest ache, made him want to–

"Are you OK?" Kiba asked, and the sand nin had to work hard to keep his expression neutral as the tentative concern stamped on the remaining pieces of his heart. Letting out a long breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, he narrowed his eyes, glaring at the other.

"What do you think? Look, if you just came up to ask me stupid questions then you can fuck off again."

"That's not why I came up!" the chunin snapped. "Will you please just fricking let me come in?"

Again, Gaara wanted to refuse, but it seemed his body wouldn't obey him as he mutely stepped aside and let Kiba walk past, shutting the door behind him.

The leaf nin sat on the bed, looking uncomfortable. Gaara remained standing, arms folded, fixing him with his coldest stare, doing his best to hide the fact that his pulse was racing in his ears.

"Well?" he said when the silence was too much to bear.

Kiba shifted uneasily, but said nothing.

Gaara glared at him for a few more seconds and was about to tell him in no uncertain terms to get out when Kiba's voice, low and hoarse, said words he'd imagined him saying a thousand times but never expected to hear in reality.

"I love you."

It beggared belief.

"What?" The Kazekage was stunned as well as completely bewildered. It wasn't a nice combination.

"You heard," Kiba mumbled, eyes fixing on the floor as he turned an impressive shade of scarlet. His face now matched the marks on his cheeks, and the effect was quite something.

"Well, yes, I heard, Inuzuka, but you haven't really been fucking acting like it, have you?" Gaara growled, surprised to find himself even more enraged than before. "Maybe we do things differently in Suna, but when you love someone you don't normally ignore them and want them to die."

"I don't want you to die," Kiba stammered, and it was such a stupid comment that Gaara spun around and drove his fist into the wall, crumbling the plaster and earning himself what felt like a broken hand for his trouble.

"Why the _fuck _did you say it then?!" The words were seethed between clenched teeth, he was breathing hard from a combination of anger and pain, horrified to find tears welling up in his eyes. Whether it was from the splits he now had on his knuckles or just because he still wanted Kiba more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life, he couldn't say. All he knew was that he'd been an idiot to think that he could just forget this, forget him...

"You're crying." Kiba's voice was low, sounding like he couldn't believe it.

"No, I'm not–!" Any attempt at furious denial was abruptly abandoned as the tears spilled over. Through the blur, he saw the chunin cautiously raise a hand toward his face. Furiously, he knocked the other's arm away.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" he hissed, wiping his face, knowing that he was perilously close to losing the very last of his self control. "You backstabbing _bastard_! You _knew_ how I felt about you, so how the hell could you do that?! We were supposed to be friends!"

God, that couldn't have sounded any more juvenile if he'd tried.

_Shit._

"We _are _friends! Look, I know there's no excuse for what I said, but I didn't mean it. Not one word. He put me on the spot and I panicked. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know you were listening."

"Even if I wasn't, you shouldn't have– Forget it. I don't want to hear it. Just get the fuck out, Kiba." The leaf shinobi didn't move, so Gaara pushed hard against his chest. "I said _leave me the fuck alone!_" Dammit, why the _hell _couldn't he stop crying?!

"_Listen to me!_" Strong, warm hands closed around his wrists, tightening, not letting him pull away. "I get that you hate me, OK? And I know I acted like a total prick or worse, but it doesn't change how I feel. Believe me, I'm in love. With you. I have been for ages."

"Why didn't you kiss me then?" Gaara challenged, struggling against the grip that held him fast, much closer to the other than was wise. "When we were drunk and you were on top of me. I wanted you to kiss me, _really _wanted you to, but you just ran the fuck away. If you love me so damn much then why did you just leave me? As if I haven't had enough of that," he added bitterly. It was meant to sting and judging by the expression on Kiba's face, it had.

"You have no idea how much I regret that," the chunin said quietly, and the self-hatred in his tone was enough to make the desert nin feel a pang of guilt. "Everything just...I don't know. I didn't want it to be true. It frightened me. I came back later – I wanted to apologise, but you were really out of it, so in the end I just put you to bed. I figured we'd talk later, but..." his voice trailed off and he shrugged helplessly.

"But you thought it'd be easier to just completely shut me out," Gaara finished for him, rage flaring up again as he remembered being ignored. "You could have apologised in the morning. You could have said something. Anything."

"I know, OK?" Kiba snarled, sounding like he, too, was close to losing his temper. "It was fricking stupid. I know that, and I know I've probably screwed everything up–"

"Damn right you have," the other cut in darkly, emerald green locking onto deep brown with ferocity anew. "Let me go. Right now."

"Not until you believe me."

"Kiba, I don't want to kill you, but I will if you don't let me go."

"I'll prove it."

"I don't fucking _want_–"

Hot lips covered his and, because it was the last thing he'd been expecting, it took a few seconds for his brain to react. Although even when it did it couldn't manage anything more substantial than '_Oh, wow..._'

Just as he was beginning to let himself melt a little, Kiba pulled away, and there was enough disarming sincerity in his eyes to make Gaara forgive anything.

"I should sand coffin you for that," the Suna nin told him, but there was no force behind his words. Kiba's expression turned sheepish as he finally released the Kazekage's wrists, dropping his gaze as he did so.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, words barely audible. "I'm really sorry for everything. I'll understand if you never want to see me again, but I just wanted you to know how I feel."

Maybe it was these final words, or maybe just the fact that Gaara's romance-starved hormone-ridden brain had finally had enough, but something propelled the Suna nin forward so that he could take Kiba's face in his hands and kiss him hard.

He had no clue what he was doing, but that didn't seem to matter very much, because Kiba kissed him back fiercely, clutching his hair, at the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Gaara shuddered as the shinobi's tongue moved over his bottom lip, coaxing his mouth open and strong tanned fingers ghosted his forehead, tracing the burned-in character as the kiss escalated in desperation.

And then Kiba pulled away, just long enough to enquire timidly "So...does this mean I'm forgiven, then?" before the other told him to shut up and crushed their mouths together again.

* * *

**And there we have it =D**

**I think the next chapter will be the last one – that's the current plan. (I seriously can't believe how long this series is...seventeen chapters....dear God...) And another part of the current plan is that the impending sex you've been warned about will no longer be impending. It will actually impend. Hooray.**

**I swear I thought about putting it in this chapter, but...it felt like I'd just tacked it on to the end...and I don't want that. It would feel like I was cheating somehow...**

**But waiting's half the fun, ne? *gets beaten up***

**Anyway, thanks very much for reading ^^**


	18. Kisses And Beyond

**I have no idea how long I've left this along for, but I suspect it's the best part of a year.**

**And then, last night, at 3am, being older, not much wiser and very out of writing practice, I revisited this and finally managed to get it finished.**

**Now, I do now have to apologise sincerely for it taking so long. At first it was because I sincerely wanted to do a good job on it, but then slowly other reasons crept in and it was pushed to the very back of my mind.**

**The person you have to thank for its emergence back into the light is gaarasgirl44, who sent me a message at least once a month, to make sure I didn't completely forget about it. Needless to say, without her this would probably never have been finished. And I need to thank her too, even if it is my birthday tomorrow and I am guaranteed to be completely exhausted XD It means so much to me that someone likes my crappy writing enough to bug me about getting a chapter out 3**

**But this is all holding you up from reading the final chapter, so please, read away, as and if you will.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, this would be the content of most of the chapters. And as it isn't...well, you work it out =)**

**Warning: Contains strong language and scenes of a sexual nature :D**

* * *

"Gaara..."

The word – barely more than a whisper – permeated the silence of a restful afternoon in a room where soft kisses were being delivered to a generous expanse of tanned skin. The owner of these kisses was obviously too wrapped up in the circumstances to pay any attention.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," Kiba said with a little more gusto, gently pushing the Suna nin away from his neck.

"What is it?" the other asked, propping himself up on his elbows. The eyes observing the chunin were slightly glazed, his voice slightly husky and lower than normal, clothes rumpled and hair suitably mussed. He looked so damn beautiful that for a moment Kiba's mind went blank and he completely forgot why the hell he'd chosen to interrupt.

"Sasuke and Naruto will be back soon," he said eventually, finally managing to drag his eyes away from the breathtaking sight above him.

Gaara checked the clock before turning back to the other boy and raising an eyebrow. "Not for almost two hours yet. We've got plenty of time."

"Yeah, but..." Kiba fidgeted uncomfortably, trying to think of a way to word how he was feeling without causing any offence. They'd been dating for almost three months now and, thanks to Gaara's duties to his village and the fact that Tsunade was a total slave driver, they didn't get time alone that often. And lately, when they did, there seemed to be this growing tension between them – the fact that they hadn't actually slept together becoming more of an issue than it should have been; at least in Kiba's mind.

It wasn't like he didn't _want _to. But sometimes it just felt like maybe they were just doing this for the sake of it. Rushing things along when they were alone, so they could finally get that final milestone under their respective belts.

And that was not the way he wanted this to be.

Up until now, Gaara hadn't mentioned Kiba's fairly obvious reluctance. But apparently his boyfriend's unwillingness was getting to him, because he sighed deeply and rolled over, so that they were lying side by side.

"What's wrong?" The question was non-accusatory, full of genuine concern. "Is it me? Because you know I'm just making it up as I go along, don't you? Before you, I hardly had a flourishing love life."

"No, that's not it," Kiba assured him, anxious to stress this point. "It's not you. It's me."

"Would you like to be any more of a cliché?" came the dry reply, accompanied with a rolling of jade-green eyes. "Seriously though. It's not the fact that I'm Kazekage, is it?"

"No," the shinobi snorted. "I couldn't care less about that."

Not entirely true – but he only felt a little intimidated. If he was honest, the knowledge of how powerful Gaara was turned him on more than making him envious. He'd never admit that of course – it conjured up the worrying comparison of a secretary sleeping with the boss.

"Oh, thank you. Nice to know that my effort's appreciated." Rolling over again, the sand ninja fixed him with an intense stare. "Kiba, seriously, you know that you can tell me anything, don't you?"

But could he, though? That was the problem. Any way his mind tried to phrase the problem, it sounded like a rejection. But that wasn't it. Not at all. It would be all too easy to just forget this niggling doubt and just fuck until the cows (or rather, Sasuke and Naruto) came home. But...

"I'm scared," Kiba admitted, watching the other's face closely to see what kind of reaction this profession would invoke. And the result was...almost none at all.

"I know," Gaara said, everything about his tone and his expression indicating that he'd been totally expecting this, and had also been planning his response. "I know it seems like a really big step and it stands to reason that you'd be nervous–"

"I'm not worried about that," Kiba cut in, and _this _time the Kazekage looked shocked, with a trace of fear lingering around the edges. "I'm worried because...it doesn't feel _right_, you know? All this rushing whenever our free time coincides...our fucking to be scheduled."

Here Gaara's lip curled a little at the other's turn of phrase, but that alarm was still shrouding his eyes and when he laughed, it sounded nervous and broken. "Look Kiba, I don't really like the rushing either, but the point is that neither of us have a lot of time and–"

"That's not the only thing."

And if his earlier interruption had made the sand nin nervous, this one seemed to have terrified him to the core. Gaara's face went slack, all traces of humour – however forced – completely disappeared as he sat up. Kiba realised the conclusion he'd jumped to the second before the redhead opened his mouth.

"You...you don't want to?"

And oh God, the panic in that voice was heartrending, the look of hurt in his eyes even more so, but it was the underlying _recognition _that was the worst. It made Kiba comprehend with a shock that a part of Gaara had anticipated that something like _that_ would happen.

"No! No!" The words couldn't come out of his mouth quickly enough – he had to do something to sooth the pain in those eyes. "No, sweetheart, not at all." (Gaara hated pet names, but he seemed to let this one slide.) "I just don't want us to have sex for the sake of doing it. There seems to be this big expectancy around it, like we've been dating long enough so hey, let's go for it. But I don't want it to be like that. I want us to sleep together because we want to, not because it's _required_ of us."

The sand nin stared at him for a moment, before looking down at his hairs, twisting together in his lap. Unable to bear the distress in the movement, Kiba reached out his hand, entwining his own fingers around the other's long, pale ones. Gaara smiled faintly, but didn't look up as he spoke.

"Kiba, I love you. You know that even if I don't find it easy to say it. I want to be as close to you as I can, in as many ways as I can. _That's _what I'm doing this. Not because it's expected, not because I want to get it over and done with so it's not an issue between us anymore. But because it's something that I genuinely want to do." Here, the redhead paused, but the Konoha nin sensed there was more and waited patiently for him to continue. "_I'm_ scared." And these words were so shocking that Kiba almost fell off the bed. Because Gaara would almost _never _outwardly admit to a weakness, and here he was doing exactly that. "The idea of sleeping with you terrifies me. And I know it sounds ridiculous that I can face death and not flinch at all, but that something that seems perfectly reasonable scares the shit out of me. But that's how I feel."

Gaara fell silent again, and this time Kiba did speak up. Because the uncharacteristic swearing had unnerved him, and he had to ask. Had to _know_.

"Why?"

This question finally make the Kazekage's head snap up, emerald eyes wide with disbelief. "_Why_? Are you serious? Because, Kiba, in case you didn't know, I've never done anything like this before. I've never made myself this vulnerable, or opened up to someone nearly this much. Any rejection from you would destroy me. And you don't seem to realise how frightening that knowledge is."

"But..." the chunin was genuinely confused. "I'm not going to reject you."

Gaara sighed. "I don't know that. I want to believe it, but all the betrayal...I just...can you see why I might be a little nervous about exposing myself fully to somebody? This isn't just about sex, you know. It's more emotional than that, _far _more and I'm so, so scared that I won't be able to deal with it. And that you won't be able to deal with me. But I'm willing to risk all of that because I'm hoping that you'll prove me wrong. OK?"

The silence that followed this admission was deafening. Kiba could see that Gaara's anxiety was rising with every second he kept quiet, but none of the responses he could think of came close to expressing what he wanted to say.

So in the end, the chunin's response was to lean in and kiss him.

It started off as gentle and reassuring, but the emotion of the past fifteen minutes quickly flooded into it and it became a wild, uncontrollable kiss, both of them digging fingers desperately into clothing in an effort to make the other understand that _this _was what they wanted, this thing that conveyed everything a thousand times better than any sentence.

And then Kiba pulled away suddenly, needing to say _something_, although the sight of the breathless, tousled and indignant person beneath him nearly got the better of him.

"I love you too, more than anything, and I'm sorry I'm being such a fricking idiot about this. But I'm just...I just...I didn't want to–"

Whatever inane babble he was about to come out with next was brought to a very firm halt as a hand crept to the back of his neck and mercilessly pulled him back down again, their lips meeting with an intensity that made his head spin. And any train of coherent thought was cut short by a warm body covering his own, fingers lacing deep in his hair as their lower bodies met, causing him to gasp and tense involuntarily.

_Holy shit..._

That was it. There was no going back now, as Kiba's fingers struggled with the fastenings on the other's shirt, finally undoing and removing the garment to reveal a chest and stomach as pale and smooth as alabaster. The white T-shirt that the leaf nin was wearing also found itself removed and slid to the floor in defeat.

And then Gaara was licking and sucking at his neck again, dipping his tongue into the hollow of Kiba's throat, causing the leaf nin to bite his lip in an effort to stop himself from crying out. It felt amazing – so much so that he was mentally kicking himself for waiting this long, he was stupid, it was stupid, they should have just thought screw it because this was...

At this point Gaara's mouth moved lower, Kiba's heels dug into the mattress and he forgot everything, including his own name.

From that point onwards, it didn't take long before he was positioned over Gaara, foil packet in hand, and it was only at this moment that the enormity of what they were about to do loomed threateningly in his mind. That thought was quickly erased when the body beneath him suddenly jerked, thrusting upwards against his own.

"If you dare tell me to stop now," Gaara said, through a series of breathless gasps, "I swear I will fucking sand-coffin you..."

The chunin's only response was a long, drawn out moan that he managed to stifle vaguely by burying his face into the other's neck. And then everything was moving again, the world was moving, spinning around them and it only slowed down at the crucial second when Kiba was finally – _finally – _pushing inside and it felt...oh God it felt...

"Stop," Gaara said, and it was like a bullet to the chest because the pain in his voice was something he'd never wanted to cause, but at the same time he wasn't sure he _could _stop.

Somehow he managed to do as the redhead asked, gazing downwards with a mixture of sympathy and frustration.

"Are you OK?" he asked with some difficulty, the words coming out as a hoarse whisper.

"It hurts..." the other whimpered and this was the vulnerable Kiba had ever seen him, and even if it felt like he'd die if they couldn't carry on, he said, "Do you want me to stop?" and waited with a growing dread for the sand nin's answer.

"...No," Gaara said eventually, and that word was infinitely better than any other he'd ever heard in his life. "I want to do this. Keep going, I'll get used to it."

"Are you sure? Because if you wanted me to–"

"Seriously, don't worry, it's OK."

"But if–"

"_Kiba_." Furious green eyes blazed up at him. "I've been as clear as I possibly can. Now will you please just fucking _do as you're told_?"

Oh, he could never resist a direct command in that voice.

Sometime in the minutes that followed, neither of them could have pinpointed exactly where, the gasps of pain turned to gasps of an entirely different nature, until they were moved together, over and over and over and yet when Kiba reached breaking point it still wasn't nearly enough.

"I'm–" he started to say, but he couldn't finish, and Gaara simply said "I know," before he was there and seeing stars and saying things that made absolutely no sense and oh FUCK, before collapsing, elated and exhausted, on top of the shinobi underneath him.

It was a little while before either of them could speak, but even when talking was physically possible again, neither of them really wanted to. The silence lay around them, but this was a good silence, maybe the best of silences and they had no desire to break it. Gaara simply moved his hand up to Kiba's cheek and the chunin covered it with his own, and that was enough.

The afternoon sun streaming through the gaps in the blinds was beginning to dim before a voice sounded in the quiet.

"Remind me what we were worried about?" Gaara asked, lazily grinning at the leaf nin next to him.

"I have no idea," came the response.

"We should do this again sometime," the redhead teased, and the other had to laugh.

"I miss you," Kiba said, wrapping his arms around the other's neck and pulling him as close as he could. "I hate that we barely ever get any time together."

It seemed like the intimate situation made it easier to voice difficult subjects. This had always been an issue, felt but never vocalised. Now it felt like maybe they could find an answer.

"Well, you could always come and live with me," Gaara replied after a minute's thought, and Kiba knew him well enough to tell that if he declined then the invitation would have been meant as a joke. But if he said yes...

He'd miss his friends, of course. And his family. But he'd get to see Gaara every day.

"Sure," he said lightly. "That'd be good."

Gaara frowned slightly, searching his face for any trace of mockery. Finding none, disbelief crossed his face briefly, before his expression changed to a wide and delighted grin.

* * *

**And there we have it. This story is officially over. Cheesy in places, angsty in others, but we have finally come to the end of the ride. At least for the moment, I am saying farewell to this, my favourite and possibly most ridiculous Naruto pairing. So thank you very much to everyone who read and reviewed this (your kind and wonderful comments meant the world to me), and I hope you will continue to support this pairing and my terrible, terrible writing. The quality was ESPECIALLY bad in this one, because I was so out of practice. Plus I didn't proof-read it properly (it was 4:40am when I eventually finished :D) so it's probably riddled with mistakes. But nevertheless, I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it, and that it lived up to any expectations you may have had.**

**And I'm very happy that I can finally stamp a big old "COMPLETE" status on it ;)**

**Until we meet again.**

**~Ari**


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